Emerald and Obsidian god of death
by Magician Girl Mirani
Summary: Harry is raised as Ichigo's little brother after being rescued from the Dursleys. Unfortunately for Harry the wizarding world isn't quite ready to give up its savour. Can the brothers stay strong against Aizen, Voldie AND Dumbles? Yaoi but no Ichi/Harry
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter/Bleach Crossover

**Disclaimer: **I own neither Harry Potter nor Bleach. They are the property of their respective creators. If I owned them then cannon would go something like my fanfic. Although if either creator offered me the rights to either series then I certainly wouldn't turn the down. I may be Psychotic but I'm not stark raving mad…..yet!

**Warnings: **Well, I'm pretty sure I'll include SLASH/YAOI/SHOUNEN-AI in this fic. If this offends you then just hit the back button. There will also be some language but this is Bleach we're talking about so that's expected. Flames will be used to burn the teachers that are failing me at the moment. So flame if you want to!

**AN: **Hello and greetings everyone! It's Magician Girl Mirani here! For those of you joining me fresh from my other fics I would just like to say that Kiara won't be joining us this time. She doesn't really pay attention to anything that isn't related to Yu-Gi-Oh so she opted out this time. But I'm still here so let's get this fic on the road shall we?! Enjoy and Review please!

PS: For my readers taht came fresh from my other fics, the HP/YGO and the YGO/Buffy fic I would just like to say taht NO I did not abandon then! I merely have writer's block so I'm finding it hard to write but once I get a copy of the fifth HP book then I should start writing the HP/YGO fic again so PLEASE don't kill me for the VERY long delay! Now, without further ramblings from this budding authoress.....

LET THE FIC....BEGIN!!!!!!!!!

-o0o-

**Chapter 1: The rescue**

-o0o-

Five year old Harry James Potter, youngest and undoubtedly smallest, resident of No 4 Privet Drive took in a shuddering breath as he tried to ignore the pain in his body. His ribs, which had always been visible, were now sticking out of his flesh after the beating he had received from his uncle earlier that day. He took in a lungful of air and had to fight back a whimper as the action forced the ribs further out of his small frame.

It had all started when he was working in the garden. He'd been weeding his Aunt's flower bed again. He didn't mind this chore. He liked being out in the garden. It was the only time he was allowed out of the house after all. Anyway, he'd been weeding the flower bed closest to the big tree in the back yard when he'd heard it, a faint, hissing voice.

"-stupid humans….messing up my nest again…..should bite the little fat one but I'd probably get indigestion-"

Now, Harry was a five year old child and like any other five year old child he got curious easily. Unlike most children however, he knew when to keep a grip on his curiosity, something that a normal child should not have had to do. The hissing continued and finally his curiosity won over his fear of punishment so Harry carefully began to make his way over to the roots of the tree, the place where the voice was coming from. He found a little garden snake, barely a foot in length, possibly a little more but Harry wasn't sure. It was a light green in colour and there were some faint markings although he couldn't make out a pattern. It was a grass snake, nothing more. So why had he heard a voice?

Just then the snake looked up at him and let out an angry hiss.

"-Stupid human hatchling!-" it said. "-Now I am going to have to find another nest…again1-"

"-I'm sorry-" Harry told it, not realising he was slipping into Parseltongue. "-I won't move your nest if you don't want me to-"

The snake looked up at Harry in astonishment. Never before had it encountered a speaker. Sure, there were rumours of them in the snake community and who could forget about Voldemort but to actually meet one in person, and such a young one at that……

"-You can understand me?-" The little green snake asked him, just for confirmation that the kid was indeed speaking the snake language.

"-Yes-" Harry replied cautiously.

"-Then you are a speaker!-" it exclaimed, jubilant to have its suspicions confirmed.

"-A speaker?-" Harry asked, confused.

"-Yes-" the snake answered. "-You have the gift to speak to serpents. It is a rare and valuable gift. There have only ever been few speakers and many of them were a long time ago. There was one a few years ago but not many snakes followed him. He was cruel and twisted. There was a strange taste about him. Most did not like him,-" The snake paused for a moment and studied Harry, taking in his oversized clothes, messy pitch black hair and emerald green eyes. "-Tell me hatchling, what do the humans call you? I go by the name of Sylvestra-"

Before Harry could answer the light was blocked from behind him. Sylvestra hissed and quickly began to retreat into a small hole beside a large root. Before Harry could turn around he was seized by the back of his oversized shirt and hauled into the air. He was turned and found himself looking into the ever purple face of his 'loving' uncle. His face was purpler than usual and seemed to have taken on a slightly greenish tinge too. Harry wasn't sure how those two colours could show on his uncle's face but they were there.

"What do you think you're doing _Freak!"_ his uncle spat, venom dripping from each syllable.

Harry froze completel, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. Why now? His uncle wasn't supposed to be home for another five hours at the most. Then he remembered.

His family were having guests over tonight, some important visitors. Apparently the company that they represented were interested in a partnership with his uncle's company and it had been left to Vernon to impress them. How could he have forgotten? His uncle would only be at work until two O'clock today.

"_Well!_" his uncle bellowed, his face turning an even nastier shade of purple as he received no answer from his nephew.

On a split decision Vernon began to make his way to the back door, slamming it open and marching into the kitchen to see his wife bussily scrubbing down the kitchen work tops. Everything had to look perfect for their guests tonight after all.

"Vernon?" she questioned as he stormed past her.

"Later Pet," he told her. "I need to deal with the freak first." He said the word 'freak' as if it was the foulest curse word he knew. Petunia looked at her nephew and her eyes narrowed.

"What did he do this time?" she questioned.

"I'll explain later," Vernon replied before making his way into the living room. He removed the fine rug from the centre of the floor before dropping his nephew heavily onto the cold, hard, wooden floor.

Harry had blocked most of the next hour out of his memory. The only thing he could remember after that was Vernon tossing him into his cupboard. He was glad for that small mercy at least. He wasn't sure how long he had been unconcious.

Suddenly he heard the sound of the doorbell ringing. He forced himself not to jump, that would only make the pain force. He'd learned that from experience.

The sound of thunder asaulted his young ears so he guessed that his uncle was coming down the stairs, no doubt having been looking through one of the up stairs windows to get a glance at their guests before they actually entered the house.

Carefully Harry raised himself off his dirty matress and kneeled beside the door. His legs shook slightly but he paid them no heed as he carefully looked through the tiny peep hole in the door. He often used this little peep hole when his family had visitors and they didn't want Harry to be seen. At least he could get a look at the people entering the house.

He heard the sound of the front door opening and his uncle greeting the new comers.

"Mr and Mrs Kurosaki!" he half bellowed. "Wonderful to meet you. My name is Vernon Dursley. Please come in." The sound of many footsteps came from the other side of the cupboard door before the front entrance was closed. The family was now in the house.

"Thank you Mr Dursley," came a light, musical voice from the doorway. Harry guessed that it was Mrs Kurosaki. "I hope you don't mind but we brought our children with us. We were unable to find a suitable caretaker for them during this meeting."

"No problem at all!" his uncle replied jovially. "I have a son myself, Dudley. What are their names?"

"Our oldest is Ichigo. He's five while our two younger daughters are two. Their names are Yuzu and Karin. Karin has the darker hair," explained Mrs Kurosaki. Harry could clearly hear the affection in her voice as she talked about her children. It was somehow different to what his aunt and Uncle said regarding their own son, certainly _a lot_ different from the way they treated him too.

Soon his uncle and the Kurosakis were walking past his cupboard. Harry noticed through his little hole that the boy, Ichigo, had bright hair. It looked orange in the dim hall light. The two younger girls were holding hands and walking beside their mother. Her face was too high up for Harry to get a good few but she had long hair. One girl had light brown hair while the other had black. The father was a little shorter than the female and he had black hair and dark eyes. He gave off a playful nature. Just before passing the cupboard the orange haired boy, Ichigo, turned his head and seemed to look straight at Harry. The black haired boy's eyes widened. There was no way that Ichigo could see him was there? And yet the brown eyes were completely locked with Harry's emerald ones.

Soon everyone except Harry ws gathered in the kitchen and the smell of food and the noise of casual conversation reached his ears.

-o0o-

Ichigo followed his parents into the house. He studied them as his mother introduced them all in English. He'd begun to learn it in school but he could't really understand what was being said.

His mother ruffled his hair as his name was mentioned and he looked up at her, giving her a smile.

As they made their way into the house Ichigo looked around. The first thing that he noticed was that the place was far too clean. What did they do all day? Just sit clean the house?

As he passed the cupboard under the stairs he looked at it. He thought he saw something. There it was. Two green shapes in the dark. They looked like eys. He felt his eyes lock with the pair under the stairs. Who was that?

Soon they were al gathered in the living room. He looked around and saw a lot of pictures of a fat kid about his age. There were some photos of when the kid was younger but he ignored them for the moment. He noticed, yet again, that the room was spotlessly clean. Did these people have an obsession with cleanliness or something? It was beginning to look like it.

Soon the big man's wife and the kid in the photos came into the room. The kid looked bigger in real life than he did in the photos and the woman was tall and bony with a horse shaped face. He privately thought that she wasn't nearly as nice looking as his mother.

Soon they were all gathered around the dining room table and the adults were having their own conversation, leaving the children to their own devices for the moment. Ichigo looked around again. There were plenty of pictures of Dudly, the fat boy, but there were no other pictures. Who did those green eyes under the stairs belong to?

He looked around again. The fat kid was wailing about something and the horse faced woman was trying to keep him quiet by giving him a plat eof ice-cream. It was the biggest plate of ice-cream that Ichigo had ever seen. It made him slightly sick to look at it actually. How could anyone eat so much?

He looked at his mother and quietly asked if he could go to the bathroom. He didn't want to watch Dudley eat the ice-cream.

His mom relayed the message to horse-face and was given instructions. She repeated them to him and he smiled an began to make his way to the bathroom. He entered the room and as he expected it was completely spotless. This was ust creepy.

Soon he was finished and making his way back down the stiars. He paused when he reached the bottom and peered carefully into the cupboard, looking through the tiny crack from which he'd glimpsed the green eyes. As he got closer he noticed a smell that he'd not noticed before. It was slightly faint, covered over by layers of spray. It was sweet and slightly sickly was a bitter tang. He recognised that smell. It was blood.

He rushed back to the dining room where the adults were talking and immediately went for his father. His mom was great but his dad was a doctor. If there was blood then he'd know what to do. He always knew what to do when there was blood.

-o0o-

Harry heard the sound of light footsteps pass his cupboard. He looked through the tiny hole and noticed that it was the boy, Ichigo, coming down from the bathroom. He hadn't noticed him to upstairs but that wasn't really surprising. He'd curled up on his matress when he couldn't understand what the adults were talking about. His body really hurt this time. His uncle had beenrougher than usual.

He heard Ichigo say something to the adults but he didn't recoginse the words that were spoken. His aunt had said that the guests were Japanese. He'd looked that up in the school library.

His teachers said that he was pretty smart for his age, smarter than his cousin anyways. He'd been thrilled at that, until his aunt and uncle found out about it that is. He'd received a beating when his and Dudley's report cards had come home and he'd scored much higher than his cousin. Lets just say that he made sure to always do worse than his cousin in school from now on. Out of school was another story however. He spent as much time as he could in the library reading. It was one of the only places that he was safe from Dudley and his gang as they did not want to set foot inside the building. Harry couldn't understand why though. He loved the library, but I digress.

Anyway, Harry had looked up Japan in the library. It was only a children's dictionary but it had been enough to get him curious. He'd spent the next few hours of his time looking up Japan in the library. He was fascinated. It sounded like an amazing place to the five year old. He wished he could go there.

Footsteps brought him back to the pressent and he sensed that there were people outside his cupboard door. Then he heard his uncle's voice.

"There is no blood in this house, the boy must be imagining things," His uncle was saying.

"I don't think so," came the voice of Mrs Kurosaki. "I can smell it also. It is rather hard to miss when you concentrate on it. Now Ichi, where did you say the smell was coming from?"

Small steps came closer to his cupboard and something tapped against the door, a hand perhaps?

"Are you sure Ichi?" asked Mr Kurosaki.

Ichigo must have nodded because Harry heard the sound of the lock on the outside of the door being unlocked.

"Now see here," his uncle began. "This is my house! You have no right to search it."

"And I am a soctor," said Mr Kurosaki. "It is my right as a doctor to investigate anything that looks suspecious. A locked door and the smell of blood is pretty damn suspecious to me now move out of my way!"

The last part was acompanied by the noise of something being shoved out of the way. Finally the door to the cupboard was opened.

Harry lifted his arm to shield his eyes to the bright light. He heard gasps from the woman and he suddenly felt a shadow over him. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the brown eyes from earlier. The eyes of Ichigo Kurosaki. Soon Ichigo was pushed out of the way by his father who immediately began to study Harry carefully.

"Now see here!" his uncle said again. "I demand you leave at once!"

"Oh, don't worry Mr Dursley," said Mrs Kurosaki. Her voice was cold enough to freeze liquid nitrogen. "We plan on leaving. And we're taking this boy with us. You are clearly not fit to take care of him."

"You will do no such thing!" came his aunt's shrill cry from the kitchen. "The freak will stay here!"

"Why do you call him a freak?" asked Mrs Kurosaki. "Is he not your family?"

"That brat is no family of mine!" his aunt spat. "He's the spawn of my disgusting freak sister! She and her useless oaf of a husband went and got themselves killed and we got saddled with the brat! I swore to get rid of that freakishness when we took him in!"

"Freakishness?" Mr Kurosaki asked, still concdentrating on Harry. The five year old could feel himself beginning to lose conciousness from the blood loss. Why did he feel so heavy?

Meanwhile Isshin Kurosaki's mind was racing. Freakishness? Did that mean that the boy could see spirits? If so then that would explain a lot. The boy seemed to have an auro of reiatsu around him but it was wild and unaccessed, like Ichigo's at the moment. It looked like it would be strong though. The child would be gifted, that was a certainty. He had to get the kid out of here.

The injuries were bad. It was a miracle that the child was still alive let alone awake. The bright green eyes were looking around, first studying him then his wife and finally settling on Ichigo. Ichigo smiled athe green eyed boy and Isshin was surprised when the green eyed boys' lips twitched upwards slightly before he closed his eyes.

"We're taking him," Isshin said with finality as he stood up, child bundled in his arms. "Masaki, grab Karin and Yuzu. Ichigo, follow me to the car."

His son did as asked and together they made their way to the rental car with his wife and daughters behind him. Masaki put Karin and Yuzu into the back of the rental car while Ichigo climbed into the other side. Masaki climbed into the driver's side. Isshin would hold the child in his arms until they reached the nearest hospital. He wanted the child checked out as quickly as possible.

A bellow was heard behind him and he turned to see Vernon Dursley at the front door with Petunia just behind him.

"Fine!" Vernon bellowed. "But don't expect to bring the freak back here! If you take him you deal with him. He's nothing but trouble!"

"We'll be the judges of that," Isshin said coldly before climbing into the car and almost slamming the door shut.

Soon the family were on the road heading for the closest hospital. Isshin looked down at the bundle in his arms. He would take care of this child. There was no doubt about that in his mind.

In the back seat Ichigo was having similar thoughts. He'd seen the black haired boy first. He'd felt something when their eyes had met. He wasn't sure what it had been but there was one thing he knew for sure. He was going to protect him. No matter what.

His mom always said that when something was important to you then you should do all you can to protect it. The bundle in his dads arms was important to him. He wasn't sure how or why he felt this way but he did and nothing was going to change his mind.

Harry Potter was now part of the family.

-o0o-

**AN:** Well? What'cha think?I know it's kinda lame but I REALLY wanted to get something out before Christmas so here it is! It's probably kinda lame but I tried my best with it. The next chapter should start just at the beginning of the Bleach series. R and R please!

Oh, and do you guys want me to use japanese phrases in this? And the sufexes like 'Chan' and 'Kun'? Later I wanna be able to call Toshiro 'Shiro-chan' cuz I jsut think it's so KAWAI! Also, has anyone got any ideas on what to change Harry's name to when he moves to Japan? I'm open to all sugestions but PLEASE keep them realistic. See you guys next update!


	2. Chapter 2

-squeals happily- THANK YOU!!!! You guys have been great! I'm amazed at the sheer number of people that actually reviewed this! -cries- I'm so happy! Special thanks go out to everyone that sugested new names for Harry. Not to mention the people that actually sugested sites for me to look up names. You guys were a great help! I looked up all the names and I think I finally found one that fits Harry perfectly. You guys should know that i moved stuff up ten years so instead of Harry being born in 1980 he was born in 1990. I thought that that would make stuff a lot easier for all of us. Just a heads up.

You guys should also know that Harry will not become a Shinigami at the same time as Ichigo. There are a few reasons for this. 1) There is no way that Ichigo would put his little brother in danger like that! 2) Rukia can only stab one person at a time which would not work. That goes back to my first reason as there is no way Ichigo would let his brother get hurt like that! 3) I have a MUCH more interesting way for Harry to become a Shinigami! You'll see what that is in a few chapters. Now, I know I said that I'd leap right into the Bleach stuff bit I realised that I need this chapter to catch you guys up on Harry's new life in Karakura town so it will start next chapter. Sorry! This is important though or you guys wouldn't have a clue what was going on.

Thanks again everyone who reviewed and added me to the fav story/story allert list! You guys are the best! There is a pole on my profile if any of you guys are interested. It's about what crossover I should try next. Vote if you feel like it! Now, onto the fic!

-o0o-

**Chapter 2: Catching up the years**

-o0o-

It was now dawn in the town of Karakura. The sun was just barely peaking above the horizen and the air was still, peaceful. That is until.....

"GOOD....MORNING!!!!" Came a call from a house in the residential district, specifically the house belonging to the Kurosaki family. A series of bangs and crashes followed, punctuated by the odd curse thrown in there for good measure. Now, let us journey inside that house shall we?

"Damn it old man!" cursed the first teenager. He had slightly tanned skin with dark brown eyes and bright orange hair. He was quite tall for his age and of a lean build but clearly had some muscle but not in the steriod kinda way. This was Ichigo Kurosaki. Right now he was glaring daggers at his father, Isshin Kurosaki.

"When will you ever learn?!" came an exasperated voice from the second teenager. This teenager was far different from Ichigo. Unlike Ichigo his hair was a deep black, so dark that when in the sun it seemed to change to a dark purple or blue. Through his hair he had dark green streaks. The hair was a lot longer than Ichigo's and fell gracefully to a few inches below the teen's shoulder blades. If it was any shorter then it would be impossible to tame. He'd tried everything after all. Growing it out and tying it back was the only way to control it. Right now it was tied back at the nape of his neck by a dark emerald ribon. The emerald ribbon matched the boys eyes. His skin was white but not in an unhealthy way. It helped to eluminate his eyes. Bangs covered hsi forehead upon which rested a lightning bolt shaped scar. This was Harry James Potter. Well, what I should really say is that it WAS Harry James Potter before he was adopted by the Kurosaki family. Now he went by the name Akira Kurosaki.

Right now Akira and Ichigo were holding their father still after he'd attacked them (again) to wake them up. The rutine had gotten old fast but Isshin refused to stop, saying that it would toughen his boys up.

"On the count of three," said Ichigo, nodding his head towards the open window.

"Okay," replied Akira.

"One," began Ichigo.

"Two," continued Akira.

"Now boys," began Isshin nervously. "There isn't a need to-"

"_Three!_" The kurosaki boys called out and flung Isshin through the open window. How he never seemed to get any injuries from these encounters was frankly beyond the teenagers but they ignored it for the most part.

Ichigo sighed and began to dress in his school uniform after making sure the curtains were pulled over. He heard his father shouting something in the street up at them but didn't pay him any attention. Instead Ichigo turned to study the room he and Akira shared. There were plenty of rooms in the house but they preferred to share. It had been like that ever since Akira joined the family. You see, Akira had nightmares. No, these were not your usual nightmares. They were bad, really bad. Akira would often wake in the middle of the night, chilled from the cold sweat running down his body and gasping for breath after letting out a scream. Ichigo was the only one that seemed to keep the nightmares at bay. As long as he was close there was nothing for Akira to fear from sleep. Their beds were close to each other, only separated by a small bedside table which held their alarm clock. (rarely usec becuase of their father) It was a decent sized room, definitely big enough for both of them and they felt comfortable in it. Akira looked at the window and began pulling on his grey trousers, white shirt and then pulling on the uniform jacket. Akira let out a small yawn as the pair made their way downstairs.

"Good morning Ichi-nii! Good morning Aki-nii!" chirped their twelve year old sister, Yuzu Kurosaki, the younger twin of Karin Kurosaki. She was just setting the food for breakfast on the table as they entered the kitchen.

"Morning Yuzu," greeted Ichigo, grabbing a slice of toast.

"Hey there Yuzu," Akira replied with a small smile.

"Are you two ready for school?" Yuzu asked them.

"Pretty much," replied Ichigo. He slung his bag over his shoulder and began to make his way to the door. Akira followed close behind, grabbing a couple slices of toast and a small juice box.

"C'ya later Yuzu!" he called as he left the house. Akira glanced down at his watch and saw that they'd be late if they didn't hurry. He relaid the message to Ichigo who immediately picked up the pace. Akira jogging slightly to keep up as his legs were shorter than Ichigos. It annoyed Akira to no end that he was so much shorter than his brother even though they were only a few months appart in age. Akira just barely reached Ichigo's shoulder for crying out loud! He hated being short. He wouldn't mind so much if he wasn't the shortest male in their year group, (or the one the year below them) really he wouldn't. Karin never stopped teasing him about it.

"Don't forget we need to stop by that street to drop off those flowers for the ghost," Akira reminded Ichigo.

Now, you may be wondering what they're talking about. Well, you see these two boys were no ordinary teenagers. Both of them are able to see the spirits of the departed (whether dearly loved and missed is not known) Anyway, They can see, talk to and even touch these spirits. Karin can see the spirits too but not nearly as clearly and Yuzu can't see them at all, neither can their father for that matter (or at least he pretends that he can't see them) but they aren't aware of that. Last night a gang of idiots had been messing about when they'd knocked over an offering left to a little girl who had been hit by a car a few months ago. Ichigo and Akira had been walking home and had seen them. Needless to say they were not happy in the slightest. They had stood up for the girl who couldn't stick up for herself and had promised to return the next day with a new batch of flowers for her. She was thrilled.

Pretty soon they reached the school where they were greated enthusiastically by Keigo. Akira had to hold back a groan. The kid really got on his nerves. He wondered why Ichigo hadn't punched the kids lights out yet instead of just stepping out of the way to let the kid fall flat on his face. Mizuru greated them a little more calmly and asked them how their classes were going. Just then Tatsuki and Orihime Inoue entered the room.

Tatsuki was their best friend. She was a tomboy through and through. She had dark spiky hair which she kept short and only wore the skirt because it was mandatory for all girls. Any other time she would be wearing a pair of jeans. A recent adition to her outfit was a necklace shaped like six dark violet leaves. She was tough, really tough. They had first met while they were training at the same dojo when they were younger. They'd been friends ever since. Orihime on the other hand was another matter. She was a shy girl and seemed to keep to herself, only really interacting with Tatsuki and sometimes Chizuru when the other girl tried to get too close to her. Tatsuki would always interfere then. Whenever she was around Ichigo she would stutter and blush profusely. Akira couldn't really blame her. She'd been living on her own ever since her older brother, Sora, had died a few years ago but she needed to learn to stick up for herself and soon or she wouldn't last long in the real world.

Classes that day were uneventful. While the teacher droned on about the importance of factorial equasions he let his mind drift to his other lessons, the ones he took at night when he studied magic.

You see, unlike many magical comunities the Japanese wizarding population strongly believed that they should not shut themselves away from the advancement of the muggle world. It was silly not to pay attention and adapt in their opinion. When a child who is magically adept reaches the age of eight a notification is sent to the family in question and a representitive of the Japanese government is sent to the family to explain things to them. Needless to say the Kurosaki family was shocked, especially Isshin. So the boy had magic and spiritual pressure? He'd found it interesting and had paid great attention to the guy, Mr Suzuki, when he'd been explaining things.

While the Japanese wizarding comunity did not comunicate much with the other wizarding nations they were not ignorant. They were well aware of Voldemort and all the trouble he had stirred up in the UK. They were also aware of Harry Potter and his dissappearance many years ago (we'll come back to that). Anyway, they were aware and were able to piece together the facts and came to the conclusion that Akira Kurosaki was really Harry James Potter. Mr Suzuki felt that it was his duty to inform the family of this and all other information he had on the subject.

"So," Isshin had said. "What you're saying is that this Voldemort guy killed Akira's birth parents, tried to kill him and somehow wasn't able to and got himself killed?"

"That's right," Mr Suzuki said. "The Brittish wizarding population is completely baffled. They really don't have a clue how it happened. And of course after the parents were killed the charms around the house fell and natrually people flocked there. The Potters were an old Pure-blood family after all. From all acounts Sirius Black reached the house first and then Albus Dumbledore. Black was arrested on charges of betraying the Potters and sentenced to life in Azkaban."

"Pure-blood family?" Akira asked, interested in his heritage. He'd ask about the other parts after. He hadn't known that much about his parents. All he'd been told by his aunt and uncle was that they were freaks and a 'waste of air space' along with some other words that he did not know at the time. He asked Isshin about them but the man had refused to answer until he was a bit older. The Dursleys had called his parents many names, several were extremely graphic and not fit for a child to know the meaning of after all. Now he knew why the Dursleys had acted the way they did. They saw people with magic as freaks of nature. That explained why they were always so nice to Dudly and never to him. They hated magic so they hated him.

Meanwhile Isshin was thinking about the possibilities. It was entirely possible that Akira's reiatsu had been the reason the attack was stopped. The two forces, magic and reiatsu seemed to be different substances all together so it was possible that the introduction of such a powerful reiatsu rebounded the magic in the killing curse on the caster. It was an interesting prospect. He'd need to check it out later.

"Pure-bloods," Suzuki continued. "Are wizards who are decended from a long line of wizards. They have not chosen to breed with normal humans. It is their belief that breeding with the larger population who they refer to as 'muggles' weakens their magical abilities and taints their blood. In the English society the government is mostly run by Pure-bloods. It is because of them that so many muggle-born witches and wizards either leave the country or return to the muggle world." Suzuki shook his head in disgust. "They don't realise that the oposite is happening. By inbreeding they are ensuring that their genetic defects are passed onto the next generation and amplified, making them far weaker and subsequently dwindling the numbers of the magical folk and producing squibs through genetic mutation. If this keeps happening then within the next half a millennia there could only be a quarter of the wizard population there is today in some countries, possibly less thanks to Voldemort."

"What about Akira?" Ichigo asked. He wasn't completely sure what Mr Suzuki had said, he and Akira were only eight after all.

"Young Akira, then known as Harry Potter, was the son of James Potter, a Pure-blood, and Lily Potter ne Evans who was a muggle-born and reputed to be one of the most gifted students to pass through the walls of Hogwarts school of Wicthcraft and Wizardry since Rowena Ravenclaw herself!"

"Hogwarts?" Akira asked.

"Rowena Ravenclaw?" Ichigo asked straight after.

"Yes," Mr Suzuki explained. "Hogwarts is a school in the UK which all magically gifted children are invited to at the age of eleven be they muggle or magical born. The school was founded roughly one thousand years ago by four of the greatest magic users of the time: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Hogwarts today is devided into four houses named after the founders based on their personality and traits. Some refuse of course because they don't wish to go to a magical school and some of the older families perfer to school their children at home. This brings us back to the purpose of my visit." Suzuki stopped speaking for a moment and pulled out a folder from the brief case he carried. "This is a list of courses available for young magic users to take should they accept the invitation to learn magic."

"Will Akira have to be taken out of school?" asked Isshin worriedly. One education was not worth giving up another completely.

"The classes will be in the evening," Mr Suzuki explained. "Many ask this question. We perfer the children to have a balanced education so they are able to have a broader scope when they are old enough to seek out employment." Suzuki handed the file to Isshin who passed it to Akira who was sitting in the middle between Isshin and Ichigo. The three peered at the list.

_**Courses Available to young Magic Trainees. **_

_**Beginner:**_

_Basic transfiguration_

_Herbology_

_History of the many magical societies_

_Basic Potions_

_Charms_

_Introduction to magical creatures_

_Defensive Magic_

_Offensive Magic_

_Introduction to Ritual Magic_

_Intoduction to Blood Magic_

_Beginner Rune Carving_

_Basic Arithmancy_

_Divination_

_Intigrating magic and muggle_

_Basic healing magic_

_**Intermediate:**_

_Intermediate Transfiguration_

_Intermediate Herbology_

_In depth study of magical cultures_

_Intermediate Potions_

_Intermediate charms_

_Care of Magical Creatures (more in depth, gets up close with different creatures)_

_Intermediate Defensive Magic_

_Intermediate Offensive Magic_

_Intermediate Ritual Magic_

_Intermediate Blood Magic_

_Intermediate Rune Carving_

_Intermediate Arithmancy_

_Divination (for those who have an actual talent for the subject)_

_Intermediate Healing Magic_

_Intigrating Magic and Muggle. Building and bonding the two worlds further_

_**Advanced Courses**_

_Advanced Transfiguration_

_Animagi study (can be taken separate from transfiguration or can be added into the course)_

_Advanced Herbology (working with dangerous plants and fungi)_

_Advanced charms_

_Advanced Potions_

_Advanced defensive/offensive magic (taught together)_

_Advanced Magical creature training (dragons, vampires, chimera etc. (Please note that these creatures are fully sentient and deserve the utmost respect. Although not human they are just as capable (if not more so) than any magical human or muggle.)_

_Advanced Ritual Magic_

_Advanced Blood Mgic_

_Advanced Rune Carving_

_Advanced Muggle and Magical bonding classes, intigrating the Magical element into technology_

_Advanced healing magic_

_Necromancy_

_Shadow Manipulation_

_Magical art work_

_Magical musical studies_

_Study of the Eurpoean and American magical laws and regulations (recommended for any magic user who wishes to travel.)_

Akira looked up from the list and looked at Suzuki in awe.

"That," said Ichigo after a minute or two of staring at the list. "Is a _lot_ of classes!"

"It is recomended that the child in question only take four or five classes at any one time lest they be overwhelmed," said Suzuki. "There is no time limit on these courses but if the child is struggling with a course it is recomended that they forfit that course and transfer to another. The training starts when the child reaches the age of eight and continues until they reach the age of sixteen which is when they come of age unlike in Europe and America where the age restriction is seventeen. When the student reaches the age of sixteen they are allowed to seek a familiar. A familiar is an animal whom is bonded to the magic user for life. Many simply choose owls or cats as they are considdered the most useful familiars but there have been rare cases in which a wizard chooses to bond himself to a fox or possibly a snake or some other animal he or she feels a connection to. I heard about a case in India a few years earlier where a witch bonded herself to a tiger cub but you will receive more information about that later when it is time for Akira to choose a familiar of his own. Any earlier than the age of sixteen and there can be side effects of the bonding. We also train our students for eight years instead of the usual seven because the nature of the courses means that more time is needed in some fields of study."

"How long is each course?" asked Isshin, looking at the healing magic in particular. That could be useful.

"It depends on the course," replied Suzuki. "For instance the transfiguration class can take from one to two years to complete but the healing magic can take from two to three years depending on the aptitude of the student. Each course is different after all. There is no particular order in which to take the classes. For example a child could take the beginner courses in healing, runes, ritual, potions and history and once he or she has finished one course then they have the option of moving onto the intermedite course or taking another beginner course. Some choose to do this so they have a much more varied education so can apply for different jobs. The European schools start training the children at the age of eleven. From there they spend seven years at a boarding school where they are taught all they need to know about their magical community. They are allowed to return to their families during the summer and around the time of New Year but that is all. It separates the young from their families. This teaches the Pure-bloods to be more independant but it also cuts off the muggle-borns from the advancements in their birth world. This can be a problem if they decide to return to the muggle world as they have to reeducate themselves. Not all Pure-bloods are the same of course. Some may choose to ignore the advancements but others are not so foolish. Sirius Black was one of the few, along with James Potter, who embraced the changes."

"You mentioned him before," said Isshin, remembering the reference to Sirius. "Who exactly is he?"

"Sirius Black was one of the best friends of James Potter along with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. During Hogwarts the four of them were inseperable. When the Potters went into hiding under the Fidelious Charm they were thought to have chosen Black to be the secret keeper, meaning he was the only one that could reveal the information that was under the charm, in this case the location of the Potters. As Voldemort discovered the Potters it is thought that Black betrayed the Potters and is now serving a life sentence in Azkaban after suposedly killing thirteen muggles and Peter Petigrew by firing an exploding jinx in an alley way. He was the only survivor. As there were many witnesses that can comfirm that Black chased Petigrew into the alley Black was arrested instantly and shipped off to Azkaban without a trial. Despite this there are not witnesses that can confirm that they saw the spell leave Black's wand."

"Why wasn't he given a trial? What exactly is Azkaban?" asked Isshin. Something wasn't sitting right with him.

"Azkaban is the Brittish prison where criminals are held. The prison is guarded by creatures called Dementors which litterally suck all the hope and happiness out of a person. Muggles are unable to see them. If they get too close to a person then they are able to forcably remove a soul from it's body." Suzuki explained. Isshin felt a shudder go through him. That didn't sound good. If a shinigami ever came into contact with one of those creatures....They actually sounded a lot like hollows. He'd need to look into it.

"Because there were so many eye witnesses who said they heard an explision and heard Petigrew shout something about 'Sirius betraying their best friend' they all asumed that Black was the traitor. He was not given the chance to defend himself however so some governments remain sceptical. If he had been given a chance to defend himself under Veritaserum then the truth would be known instantly." Seeing the blank looks of his listeners Suzuki continued. "The potion forces the drinker to tell the whole truth. They cannot lie under the influence of the potion no matter how hard they struggle. Three drops is the usual dosage. Any more can result in serious damage to the brain and anything past six drops is fatal. Depending on how much is added the victim can die within the next five minutes or the pain can be drawn out for several hours. All the while the potion is in effect."

"So he wasn't allowed to defend himself?" Ichigo asked. He didn't like that idea. Even if someone had done something wrong he thought they should at least get the chance to tell their side of the story. It was only fair after all. Some well known cases were only figured out be the police once they'd heard the accounts of both sides. That meant that Black could be innocent and if there was one thing that Ichigo hated it was when people got blamed for things that they did not do.

"That is correct," replied Suzuki. "Right now Black is in one of the deepest cells of Azkaban. Right now our government along with the Chinese, Australian and American wizarding governments are petitioning for Black to receive a retrial to give him the chance to defend himself properly but the Brittish Minister, Cornelious Fudge, won't allow it."

"Why not?" asked Akira.

"He doesn't want to make it seem like his government made a mistake," replied Suzuki simply. "He would lose his public support and that means losing the next election and that is something he cannot afford to do. He's become too used to the feeling of power."

Not long after that Suzuki had left. He had left an address which Akira was to send his form with requested courses to when he decided. He had to decide within the next week. Eventually he had chosen to take: Transfiguration, healing magic, blood magic, potions and magical creatures.

It had all been going quite well since he'd decided. He'd discovered that he was very gifted with the practical side of the work, especially in transfiguration. After completing that course he'd moved onto defensive magic (which he excelled at) and then offensive magic.(he did just as well if not better) He'd taken a year to complete each subject. He discovered that he was not very good at healing magic as he did not have quite the control needed for the precise work but he finished the basic healing course and moved onto the basic rune carving lessons. He began that course a little shakily but he managed to pick it up and continued through to intermediate classes. He also took intermediate transfiguration and opted to continue to advanced Transfiguration and animagi training. He also took the intermediate blood magic course but did not go through to the advanced courses. Magical creature courses seemed to be one of his favourites. He absolutely sailed through the basic and intermediate courses and had started the advanced courses when he'd reached the age of twelve while most students only started on the advanced stuff when they reached the age of fourteen. He also made sure to take the beginner course in Herbology and potions so he knew which plants would help or hinder him and the beginner and intermediate classes in charms. He also opted for the class on the laws or the magical cumunities of America and the UK. He had a feeling that eventually he would have to go back to the UK and he wanted to at least know what he was getting himself into. One class that he could not resist taking was the magical art work lessons. He loved them as they were all about expressing himself through his magic and artwork. He loved making little sculptures and making them move as well as paintings. He had discovered that he was actually a very tallented artist and it was one of the few things that could help him relax. It was tricky as it involved the casting of many combined spells and runes. Because the spell work was so intricate and difficult it required a wand. The same was true of Blood magic.

He still remembered the day he'd been taken to get his wand. Wands were not used as much in the Eastern Wizarding comunities but they were still needed so he'd gone with his dad and Ichigo to collect a wand. The twins had been left at the house of one of their friends for the afternoon. The old man who owned the wand shop had been very excited. He'd had to make a custom wand for Akira as none of the others seemed to fit him just right. In the end his wand had been a surprise to the store owner, Souta Umino.

After trying out all the wands in the shop Umino had lead them through to the back room where he kept all the ingredients and components for the wands. There were many different woods stacked along the walls and diferent tables holding vials, boxes and other containers which Akira couldn't identify.

"Right," Souta began, looking extremely excited. "I haven't had a customer this hard to find in a long time. The first thing we need to do is find out which wand wood is needed. Go along these shelves and find a wood that you think fits you. You're magic should pulse when you touch the right now. Go on lad, give it a try."

Akira had nodded and began walking along the room, carefully running his fingers over the many different lengths of wood. There were many different woods in many different shades and lengths. He felt something when he ran his hand over a stick of holly but it didn't quite feel right so he continued. Finally he stopped at a long stick of wood, maybe thirteen inches long. It was a deep black in colour and smooth to the touch.

Akira had unconciously stopped when his fingers had come into contact with the stick and Souta came over to see what his customer had found. A glint entered his eye as he saw which wood Akira had been chosen by.

"Ebony Willow eh?" he asked. He carefully took the stick of wood from Akira's fingers and held it up to the light, exposing the wood and making it gleam slightly in the candle light. "Interesting choice. It's a rare wood and can be a little tempermental but good and strong." He set the piece of wood down on a clear table and ushered Akira to the centre of the room.

"Now," he continued. "Unlike most wands I perfer to have two cores in my wand. Most just have a phoenix feather, unicorn tail hair or heartstring in them but I find that suspending the core in a liquid of some sort helps to balance the wand. There are many different liquids here so take your time. You should feel a similar feeling as before. Good luck." He stepped back and allowed Akira to study the vials carefully. There were many different liquids such as phoenix tears, basilisk venom, dementor escence, blessed water etc. Finally Akira stopped when he felt his magic pulse. He looked down at the container his hand had stopped over and found himself looking into a jar waht appeared to be swirling with white and light blue. There were odd flecks of silver in the swirls and as they moved Akira felt himself become hypnotised.

"Interesting," Souta said. "The breath of an ice dragon. Very curious." He picked up the container and stood it beside the ebony willow branch. "Now for the core itself. Choose very carefully lad. You may be atracted to a few things but just let your magic guide you. It won't steer you wrong. Collect a few things and when they're all together you'll be able to tell which feels right."

Akira did as instructed. Carefully he selected a few things that seemed to be calling out to him. These included a basilisk tooth, phoenix feather, hair from the mane of an ebony unicorn, feather of a hippogryph and something in a carved wooden box. It wouldn't open to show what was inside but when he picked the box up to place it with the others he noticed that Souta took in a sharp breath and his eyes had widened a little.

Akira carefully began to run his hand over the items, carefully putting items back until he was left with the wooden box. He looked at Souta for an answer and found the man staring at the box in wonder.

"What is it?" Akira asked him, breaking the man from his thoughts.

"That box," Souta said after a moment. "Contains one of the most powerful cores I have ever collected. I am not completely sure what it is as no one has been able to unlock the box. According to my grandfather the box will only open for the person who is destined to posess the core in their wand. If your magic is reacting to this box then it is entirely possible that the core is meant for you young one. Try and open it. Send a little of your magic towards the box. It should unlock if it you are the true wielder of the core."

Akira was rather nervous at hearing this. He took a deep breath and carefully began to gather a small amount of magic. He'd already started his lessons at that point and one of the first things he had learned was to gather his magic. It was a simple process once the wielder of the magic got control of it and soon Akira was able to draw exact amounts of magic whenever he felt like it. Rigth now as he was gathering the magic he did not notice that a small amount of reiatsu had slipped in to mingle with the magic. Isshin noticed though. He felt Akira's spiritual pressure pulse slightly before his son reached over and carefully pulled the lid from the carved box. Isshin heard Souta inhale in amazement.

Sitting on a bed of crimson silk were the most beautiful feathers he had ever seen. The first appeared to be pitch black like the ebony willow and glossy as a raven's wing but as you lookec closer you could see flecks of dark emerald green. There were also traces of silver near the centre of the feather. Sitting next to it was a feather of the deepest white. Along the outside of the feather was a layer of crystaline blue with flecks of silver. It seemed to sparkle like frozen ice. Each feather was about twelve inches in length and looked as soft as any silk scarf.

"What are they?" Akira asked, reaching out to carefully stroke the black feather. It felt delicate against his touch and was extremely soft, softer than it appeared to be. It also seemed heated although by what he could not tell.

"That," breathed Souta in awe. "Is the feather from the wing of one of the greatest dragons known to the Magical world. It is the feather of the great shadow fire dragon who roamed free over the land millennia ago. The name of the great beast has been lost throughout history but what is known is that it comanded the darkest fires known to man or beast. The fire has been called 'Hellfire' for lack of a better word. It is unlike normal fire in that it is a deep green tinted with black and sometimes silver according to legend. The other feather is from the greatest Ice dragon known to walk the earth. The name of the beast has also been lost but all the images of the great dragons depict them intertwined, always together. Which feather is calling you lad?"

"The black one," Akira replied instantly. "How can dragons have feathers though? I thought all dragons have scales adn skin for wings?"

"That is true for normal dragons," Souta replied. "These two were different however. Both dragons had feathered wings but there were differences. For example the feathers of the Shadow Fire Dragon were said to burn, each feather a separate flame while the Sapphire Ice Dragon's feathers were all said to be made of shards of the strongest ice. According to legend the two dragons had met with a young magic user. He had saved their lives although I do not know how this came about. As a show of gratitude each gave the young man a single feather from their wing. One from the left wing and the other from the right wing. As soon as the feathers left their wings they transformed into what you see before you today. Not many know of the existance of these dragons or these feathers."

"Then how do you know about them?" asked Ichigo. He was desperate to reach out and touch one of the feathers but something held him back. It was like an invisible force was silently but gently pushing him away, as if warning him not to touch. His instincts told him not to push so he did not. He trusted his instincts.

"I know," Souta said calmly. "Because the young man from the legend was my ancestor. We of the Umino line have watched over these feathers for generations. We were not told what was actually in the box though. Our family has collected many rare items in the past. All my family ever told me when I was younger was that I was to make sure that the contents of the box were never to fall into the wrong hands. I grew up hearing the story of the great dragons but I never fully believed it. Now one of the feathers is calling out to you young one until today. Along with the ice dragon breath and ebony willow I can tell you right now that this will be one of the most, if not _the_ most powerful wand I have ever created."

Souta had ushered them out of the back room then. Wand making was a secret art after all, known only to the family that practice it. Each family have different methods of wand production and they guard their secrets well. It had taken over an hour but finally Souta had emerged from the back room with a long thin box in his hand, looking exhausted but smiling slightly. The box was made of cherry wood and inscribed with flames along the outside edges. He carefully placed the box on the counter and lifted the lid.

Inside lay a beautiful ebony wand atop a cushion of sapphire blue. Unlike most wands there was a carving of a dragon swirling around the handle. The outline and detail were picked out in silver and the eyes were made using a pair of sparkling emerald green gems. Small though the jewels were they were beautiful against the obsidian of the wand. The dragon covered much of the upper part of the wand with the head resting near the end. The tail coiled around the handle where the wielder would hold the wand. Akira reached forward carefully and touched it, running his fingers over the smooth surface, carefully running his idex finger over the small indentations where the dragon's body and wings were inlaid into the wand and over the gems.

"Pick it up lad," Souta told Akira quietly. "The components of the wand chose you as their wielder. Pick it up and give it a wave."

Akira reached out with a slightly shaking hand and carefully wrapped his small fingers around the handle. Instantly he felt his magic, and something else, pulse as he lifted the wand from the cushion. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again. 'Here goes something,' he thought to himself and brought the wand down in a powerful thrust. Immediately deep emerald green and ebony sparks lept from the end of the wand in the shape of a dragon. The exact shape was not clear but it was clear enough what it represented. The sparkling apparition flew around the shop for a moment before dissappearing.

"Remarkable," Souta breathed. "Truly remarkable. I think it is safe to say that we can expect great things from you young one."

Even after all these years Akira still wasn't sure exactly what the old man had meant. Was he referring to his past with Voldemort or was it something else? He wasn't sure. Ichigo just shrugged it off, saying taht he'd know when he knew and taht was all there was to it for now.

Just as Akira was thinking about this the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Finally! He grabbed his bag and made his way towards Ichigo. Time to go see the ghost.

-o0o-

**AN: **Well? Wht do you guys think? I know I said I'd jump right into the Bleach stuff bit if I had then you guys would have gotten confused and I would have had to use flashbacks and I HATE flashbacks! Hope you enjoyed this. Feel free to point out any spelling mistakes. I don't have a beta and I like checking it over myself so any help you could give me would be apreicated. Review please! The next fifteen people that review can ask any plot spoiling questions they want and I'll alswer them all!

Pay attention to this chapter though! There are some potential clues here. Bonus points to anyone that spots them! I'm not completely happy with this but I want to get the next chapter out before I have to return to school next week and I don't know how long I'll have to work on another chapter. Sorry guys but I dunno when I'll be able to update again. Enjoy this chapter though!

C'ya next time guys! Hope you had a Happy New Year!

MG Mirani


	3. Chapter 3

OMR!!!! I am SO sorry that I took so long with this chapter! Honestly it was one of the absolute HARDEST chapters I've had to write EVER! I dunno what it was but it was just impossible for me to buckle down to write and thank Ra it's finally OVER!!!!!!! I know that it probably isn't my best work but you guys deserve something so if there are any mistakes that I missed then feel free to tell me okay?!

-huggles reviewers- THANK YOU! You guys have been awsome! Thank you SOOOOOOO much for the reviews and for voting on my poll. I'll keep it open a little longer but hopefully it won't be for too much longer. I won't actually start any of the fics until I'm about half way through this one but I'd like to get a heads up to what you guys like so thanks again! Besides, if I started another fic then I probably wouldn't finish any of them and I don't wanna put myself (or you guys) in that situation EVER!

**IMPORTANT!!!!! **This could be important later so please pay attention! Some of you have asked about the age of Akira and Ichigo. Well, when Akira was taken from the Dursleys he and Ichigo were both is because the time period was about mid August to early October so both of their birthdays had passed. Now, this fic begins somewhere around April or May like the anime but I'm not sure of the date. Since it is ten years later Akira is still fourteen and will turn fifteen during the soul society ark okay? Now, as RivalAdmirer18 pointed out to me Ichigo's birthday is mentioned in the Manga but I have never read it and I will be unable to read it so for the sake of this fic Ichigo's birthday is either the fifteenth of March or the fifteenth of April. I'm not sure yet and I'll choose later. This is just to clear up any misunderstandings. Right now Ichigo is fifteen and Akira is fourteen, soon to be fifteen. I hope this helps you guys!

Contrats to everyone that saw what I was hinting at in the last chapter! Most of you managed to pick up on Akira's wand but I'm surprised that only one person (RivalAdmirer18) actually picked up the second, not so noticable hint. This will become a lot clearer later on and it'll be real important. Just a warning to you Orihime fans. She'll not be quite as central to the story as she is in cannon. She honestly gets on my nerves cuz I odn't see any character development in her but I won't bash her for the sake of the people that like her. She'll be on the side lines mostly and she'll probably be a medic and nothing more. I just wanna clear this up before hand so you guys don't come at me with pitch forks and torches. Although some of you might do that anyway considdering how long I took to update.

Now, without further ramblings from me......LET THE CHAPTER.........BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

-o0o-

**Chapter 3: When the protector becomes a Shinigami**

-o0o-

As Akira and Ichigo passed through the school gates after final bell they heard the sound of Tatsuki yelling in the destance.

"What do you think Chizuru did this time?" Akira asked, turning his head upwards to look at his (slightly!!!) older brother.

"The usual," Ichigo replied. "Probably flirting with Inoue." Akira shook his head.

"You'd think the girl would get a clue after the fifth beating," he commented as they rounded a corner, heading towards the street where the ghost would be waiting for them. "I mean, what is it gunna take for her to realise that Tatsuki won't let her near Inoue?"

"Who knows," Ichigo commented before the pair lapsed into a comfortable silence. A lot of their time was spent like this, just in silence. They were both comfortable with it and it was familiar. When Akira had first come to live with them it had taken a while for him to ajust. Ichigo had barely ever left his side. Akira hadn't known the language so they couldn't really talk to each other so a lot of the time had been spent in silence, sometimes drawing or playing a game or even just staring up at the sky and day dreaming. It was their rutine and they liked it.

When Masaki had died they had spent even more time together, if that were possible, and their bond had grown stronger. It was almost a physical connection, a thick rope tying the two together.

As they neared the street where they would meet the ghost Akira looked around him. Good, there was no one watching. At a nod from Ichigo Akira pulled out his wand and muttered a spell quietly under his breath. Immediately a bunch of light blue and white flowers appeared in his other hand. He looked at his handy work before slipping his wand carefully into teh hidden pouch of his sleeve.

Most of the magical folk in Japan carried wands but few chose to use them after they completed their education. You see unlike most wizarding nations the Japanese government believed that to stunt the growth of a magical core by using a wand too often was to dampen the potential of the magical child in question. Wands were used for the first few years and then afterwards the child would slowly be weened off of them, like a baby being weened off of it's mother's milk. As it got stronger it no longer needed the nutrients from the mother to survive. As the wizards increased in age and experience they no longer needed the wand to direct their magic as often. When they reached the age of fourteen or fifteen they were only required to use their wand for advanced classes and for delicate work, such as runes or blood and ritual magic. As Akira had opted for advanced Transfiguration he had to use his wand to conjure items from thin air. It was much more difficult than simply transforming one object into another and so required a wand to help direct the magic in the correct way. By the end of the course he would be expected to complete the exam without the use of his wand at all. But I digress. Lets get back to the story at hand.

As the pair reached the street that connected to the Alley where the girl lived they heard a strange sound. It was somewhere between a growl and a hiss. Akira looked around but he couldn't see where it was coming from. It was a low sound and it sent chills up both teen's spines.

"What was that?" Akira asked.

"I don't know," Ichigo replied. "But I'm gunna find out. Stay here." He began making his way towards the source of the noise, the alley way where the kid ghost 'lived'.

"Like Hell I am," Akira replied flatly before making his way after his big brother. Ichigo cast an annoyed look at him but didn't try and force the issue. Akira could defend himself just as well as Ichigo could, maybe a little better with his magic added into the mix, so he wouldn't stop him. That didn't change the fact that he wanted to but Akira wouldn't grow if he shielded him from everything, he'd learned that a few years ago. All his brotherly instincts told him to keep Akira back but he ignored them for now, better to keep him close in case he needed to shield his little brother.

Anyway, back to the present situation. As the pair approached the alley way they suddenly heard a sharp cry. It sounded like the kid. Abandoning all pretense of stealth the pair rushed forward and entered the alley way.

What they saw made them freeze in their tracks like they'd suddenly hit an invisible wall.

The creature before them was hideous. It nearly reached the height of the surrounding four story buildings. Itw as a dark grey in colour and it's long, rope like limbs ended in deadlylooking claws. There was a gaping hole in the creature's chest, right where the heart should have been. Yet it was the face that drew the most attention. While the rest of the creature was a dark grey in colour the face was bone white. They eyes were a sickly yellow and glaring with a deep hatred buring in their molton depths. The mouth of the creature was disgusting, two rows of razor sharp teeth stretched into a permenant malicious leer. Right now the creature's sights were set on the small ghost covering near the entrance of the alley, trying desparately to hide behind a garbage can. As the girl spotted them she let out a frightened cry and leapt up, running towards them with all the strength she posessed in her thin limbs.

The creature, taking note of it's fleeing meal, let out a howl, if it can be called that. The sound reverberated around them and sent a shiver down Akira and Ichigo's spines. As the girl ran the ten feet that separated them Ichigo grabbed Akira's arm. Akira grabbed the girl's hand as she reached them and together the trio began racing towards the street, determined to escape the alley. The creature let out another shriek as they ran and gave chase, one of it's arms barely brushing a building and sending glass adn brick flying as window and wall alike crumbled.

"Come on!" Ichigo told the pair. "We have a chance if we can get outta here! Move it!"

They heard a sound from behind them and the sudden destraction caused the girl to stumble and fall. Ichigo cursed and turned to help Akira lift her to her feet. What the brothers saw made their eyes open and they bodies freeze in shock.

Standing between them and the hollow was a girl. She was a few inches shorter than Akira and had black hair that passed her shoulders with a single long strand running down the centre of her face. Her eyes were a dark blue and she was glaring at the creature in front of her. It was her outfit though that really caught their attention. She wore a pair of black hakama with a white sash around her waste with a kimono top covering her upper half along with Zori (sandals) and tabi (socks that separate the big toe from the four smaller toes). What really shocked them was that she carried a sword and was pointing it straight at the creature.

Before the sight before them could fully register the girl jamp into the air and raised her sword before slashing down, cutting a clean line down the centre of the creature's face. It let out a howl of pain as it's face disintigrated and it colapsed to the ground, dissappearing in whispy vapours.

The girl sheathed her sword. Ichigo tried to call out to her but she igonred him and quickly exited the alley way the same way she came, be jumping from ledge to ledge until she reached the top of th enearest building.

"Okay," Akira sais faintly. "What the _hell_ just happened here?"

-o0o-

Later that night Ichigo and Akira lay in their separate beds with the lights turned off. Moonlight filtered through the window, casting a faint bluish glow about the room. It was around Ten O'Clock at night and all seemed peaceful in the house. Yuzu was in the kitchen, giving it a final clean before she went to bed and Karin was probably watching the TV, flicking through the channels for something decent to watch. Their dad, they didn't really want to know what he was up to.

"Any clue what that thing was?" Ichigo asked Akira.

"Not a clue," he replied dissappointedly. He'd looked through all of his magical creature books and he couldn't find hide nor hair of the creature. "I can't believe I couldn't find anything. You'd think someone would notice if a giant thing like that walked down the street."

"Well," Ichigo thought out loud. "It could see the ghost so maybe it's a ghost itself."

"But a ghost of _what?"_ Akira asked him, turning to face Ichigo who was staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't know," Ichigo replied. "But I don't like it. That girl we saw..." He trailed off, thinking back to the events in the alley way. "She cut through it's face like it was nothing, then just dissappeared."

"It was weird," Akira agreed. "Do you think we'll ever see her again?"

"Who knows," Ichigo replied before turning his head to look out the window, his eyes trained firmly on the moon as it hovered in the midnight blue sky. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"You're probably right," Akira agreed. "What are the chances we'll see her again anyway? "

You'd think he would have learned something by now wouldn't you? If he had then he would have known _never_ to say something like that, especially with this intrepid authoress around.

-o0o-

On the other side of the street from the Kurosaki Clinic a figure stood poised on the end of a roof, the girl from earlier.

"It's close," she whispered to herself. "I can feel it." Her eyes took in his surroundings with a calculating look and settled on the building just oposite her. "_There_!"

-o0o-

"_What the Hell?!"_

Akira awoke from his light dozing and turned to look at his brother. It had been Ichigo's exclaimation that had broken his out of his almost-sleep. What he saw made his breath catch in hos throat.

Standing on the desk between their beds was the same girl from earlier today. In the blue light cast by the moon her skin looked even paler than it had in the sunlight and it glinted off her sword as she held it losely by her side. Her face was set in a frown and her eyes were scanning the room intently, looking for something maybe? Akira wasn't sure. Ichigo was trying to get her attention but it wasn't working, she probably thought that Ichigo was talking to him (Akira) as she didn't expect a living person to be able to see her. She _was_ a ghost after all, or at least he _thought_ she was a ghost. What else could she be?

"Hey!" Ichigo was still calling to her but she was, as before, ignoring him.

"It's close," she whispered to herself, taking no heed of the teenagers in the room.

"What's close?" Akira asked.

"But where is it?" She asked herself. Ichigo's eye began to twitch.

"I know it's around here but where?"

"That's it!" Ichigo growled before jumping out of bed and delivering a sweep kick to the girl's stomach, knocking her off of the table and on to the floor between their beds. For a moment she just lay there, eyes open in shock as she stared at the two teenagers leaning over her, one looking annoyed and the other concerned.

"Are you alright?" Akira asked her, stretching out a hand to her to help her up.

"You can see me?" She breathed, her eyes wide with shock. "But how? You're just humans, how is it that you can see me?"

"Beats us," Akira replied. "We've always been able to see ghosts."

"Always?" the girl replied. "But, that shouldn't be possible."

"Doesn't change the fact that it's the truth," Ichigo told her, still annoyed. "Now, mind telling us what you were mumbling to yourself?"

Immediately the girl's face changed, becoming harder and she lost her slightly scared look. "That is none of your concern," she replied crisply, ignoring Akira's offered hand and hauling herself to her feet.

"Okay, fine," Akira told her before Ichigo could put his foot in it, so to speak. "But can you at least tell us what you are? I mean, there's no way you're a normal ghost right? Normal ghosts don't dress like that and they definitely don't carry swords around. And what was that creature anyway? We've never seen anything like it before."

"Very well," she replied. She looked them both in the eye, maintaining contact for a few seconds before breaking it. "I am a Shinigami."

There was total and utter silencei n the room, no one spoke, no one even moved. Akira and Ichigo stared at the girl, now known as a shinigami. Finally it was Ichigo that broke the silence.

"Mind giving us some details?" He asked her, scepticism clear in his voice. Akira gave him a slightly annoyed look before turning back tot he female.

And so the girl, now known as a Shinigami, began her story, starting from the beginning and telling the two teenagers about the duties and responsibilities of a Shinigami and the danger posed by Hollows, the creature that they had seen that afternoon. Finally she finished and silence decended between the three once more.

"So," began Ichigo after a minute. "You're a Shinigami?"

"Yes," Shinigami replied.

"And it's your job to hunt down these Hollows to kill them?"

"Yes,"

"And you're needed to help cross other spirits over, the ones that don't become hollows?"

"That is correct," Shinigami replied, sounding slightly annoyed.

"That all makes perfect sense," Ichigo said calmly. "Except that it's all impossible!"

"Ichigo!" Akira admonished immediately.

"Come on!" Ichigo turned to Akira, giving him one of his best 'you can't believe this crap!' looks. "Don't tell me you believe her!"

"Why not?" Akira asked him right back. "Why is it so hard to believe in Shinigami? I mean, look at me, do you think I'm impossible?"

"No!" Ichigo said immediately.

"Then what's the big deal?" Akira asked, a smirk trying to pull at the corners of his lips but he forced it down. No need to antagonize Ichigo firther after all.

"But we have proof of that!" Ichigo argued, continuing to fight the battle he already knew was a lost cause but his pride wasn't willing to admit it.

"You need proof?" Shinigami asked, a sly smirk making it's way accross her face. "Very well then, _Bakudo 1: Sai!" _

Immediately Ichigo found his arms pinned behind his back. He lost his banalce and fell, face first on to the carpeted floor where he lay, twitching slightly. Akira did his best to stifle his laughter but a snicker got through. Ichigo growled at him.

"Not funny!" He vehimently told his brother.

"It is from up here Ichigo," Akira replied, allowing a grin to spread accross his face. "Reminds me of that time I practiced that full body bind on you."

Now, the shinigami didn't know what he was talking about so she just asumed taht it was a family thing so ignored it. She gazed down at Ichigo, a self satisfied expression on her face.

"Proof enough for you human?" she asked him, prodding him with her toe. Ichigo growled while Akira let out another chuckle.

"Fine," Ichigo muttered, managing to rise from his position on the floor to a (barely) more dignified position on his knees.. "Lets just say that, for the purposes of this conversation, I believe that you are really a Shinigami. What are you doing in our room in the first place?"

All signs of humor drained from the female's face and she looked at the two teenagers with complete seriousness in her midnight eyes.

"I was tracking a hollow," she said finally. "It's location is around here somewhere and as I came closer I detected a strong reiatsu. I asumed taht it belonged to a spirit, they are the only beings able to pocess reiatsu after all, but instead I find you two."

"Do you know where the hollow is now?" Akira asked, ignoring the reiatsu part for now. These hollows sounded dangerous. That one from earlier had been huge! Who knows what damage another one of those ghings could do.

"I lost track of it becuase of the reiatsu," the Shinigami replied, a slightly self concious look on her face.

"Can you track it again?" Ichigo asked her, pulling himself up to sit on his bed.

"I believe so but it will take time. The reitasu is clouding the air, making it harder to sense the hollow's presence."

Just then there was a crash from downstairs and a howl like sound floated to their ears. Well, perhaps floated wasn't the right word for it. It was more like it tore at their ear drums and gave them minor headaches. Ichigo looked at Akira and they both turned to look at the Shinigami who had frozen in place, her eyes going wide as a realisation hit her.

"What was that?" Akira asked, looking to their door.

"I don't know," Ichigo replied. "But I don't like it."

Another crash sounded from downstairs along with a small cry.

"Yuzu!" Ichigo and Akira exclaimed. They both jumped to their feet but Ichigo over balanced and landed on the ground again. He cursed under his breath before trying to pull himself back up. That did _not_ sound good.

"It's here," the Shinigami whispered. "How could I have missed it?"

"What's here?" Akira asked, looking at her. Suddenly his eyes widened as realisation dawned. "The hollow," he whispered. "Its here isn't it?" The Shinigami nodded. That was all it took for ichigo to leap to his feet and make his way towards the door.

"Wait!" the Shinigami called after him. "You can't go out there. You may be able to see spirits but you are not a shinigami. You can't fight a hollow!"

"That's my family down there!" Ichigo snarled at her. "I'm not just gunna stay up here nice and safe and leave them down there! Not a chance!"

Just before Ichigo reached the door it opened to reveal Karin. Her face was pale and her eyes large.

"Ichigo," she breathed. "Downstairs....Yuzu....help." With that she colapsed. If Ichigo hadn't been so close he wouldn't have been able to catch her slightly. He was unable to hold her because of the binding spell on his arms so he supported her with his chest until Akira came over to gently settle her on the floor.

"That settles it!" Akira growled, a fire blazing in his eyes. "There is no way that thing is getting away with this."

"No!" the Shinigami told them firmly. "I'm going to deal with this. You two stay here. You'll only get in the way."

With that she quickly unsheathed her sword (which they now knew was a Zanpakto) and raced out of the room, careful to avoid trodding on Kari's prone form. Akira lookea at Ichigo, who still had his arms pinned behind his back, and took off after the Shinigami.

Ichigo cursed (In Japanese and English) before rushing forward and overbalancing and falling. Letting out another stream of curses he picked himself up and charged down the stairs.

As Akira charged down the stiars he noticed that he'd left his wand on the bed side table. Silently cursing he continued his descent down the stiars, no time to go back for it now. As he raced down the stiars he saw it. The creature was hideous. It's skin was a dark grey like the last creature and it's face was a disgusting leer. Right now it held Yuzu in it's clawed grasp, it's tongue running over its sharp teeth.

"Leave her alone!" Akira shouted, coming to a stop, his body in a ready stance in case he had to move quickly. The hollow looked over at him and if possible its leer became even more demented.

_"What's this I see?"_ it asked, it's voice dark and eerie. Akira felt a shiver run up his spine but he stood his ground. _"Now that's more like it. I need a decent meal, not this little snack here. Perhaps I'll finish her off before I move onto you eh boy? I'll save the other one for desert."_

Akira growled before firing off a stunner. The red light passed through the hollow without scratching it. Akira's eyes widened. That wasn't good. The hollow let out a mad cackling sound.

_"You'll need to do better than that if you want to hurt me boy,"_ the hollow taunted. Akira grabbed the closest item, a chair, and hurled it at the hollow. The chair hit the arm holding Yuzu and the hollow let out a yelp of pain before dropping the girl. So the physical object hurt him but the spell didn't.

Just then the Shinigami appeared and quickly ran towards Yuzu and caught her. She turned back to look at Akira who quickly took Yuzu from her, checking her vitals and sighing with relief. She'd just fainted.

Just then Ichigo appeared at the top of the stairs. His hands were still bound behind his back and he was glaring daggers at the hollow. Akira could see that he was trying, in vain, to break free of the spell holding his arms behind his back.

"Get back!" The Shinigami told him. "You cannot face a hollow! Do not try and break free! The force of it will tear your soul appart!"

Ichigo paid her no mind however as he continued to struggle to break free. His glare intensified as he stared at teh hollow.

_"What's this?" _the Hollow jeered. "_Another tasty snack? Well well, I'm spoilt for choice. Should I go for you or that other boy, both would make good choices wouldn't you say boy?"_

That was definitely the wrong thing to say.

Ichigo growled at the Hollow before closing his eyes and re-doubling his efforts to break free of the kidou. As Akira and the Shinigami stared at him they saw tendrils of blue-ish energy begin to swirl around his body. Ichigo's teeth were gritted and his body was trembling slightly.

"Don't!" the Shinigami cried as she watched him. "You'll kill yourself!"

Ichigo gave a final hard pull, breaking the Kidou and causing the spiritual energy around him to explode, the tendrils stretching away from him before fading into nothingness.

"What is this?" the Shinigami whispered, almost too quietly for Akira to hear. "How did he do that? It shoudl not be possible for a non-shinigami, much less a human, to break free of a Kidou. This is unheard of."

Ichigo smirked as he stood up fully, now free of the Kidou and glared at the Hollow.

"Here I come, ready or not!" He yelled at the hollow before charging straight at the beast.

The hollow let out a roar and batted Ichigo away with one of its massive clawed hands. Ichigo flew back and landed hard against a wall.

"Ichigo!" Akira called out as he quickly made his way towards his brother, Yuzu still in his arms.

"I'm fine," Ichigo told him through gritted teeth. He strugged to stand up, using the wall as support as he glared at the hollow. The hollow in question let out a laugh like sound before raising it's hand and thrusting forward. Akira closed his eyes as Ichigo pushed him adn Yuzu down. They waited for the attack to come. Instead they heard a pained cry from above them. Akira looked up and stared in shock. The Shinigami had taken the hit.

"Idiots," she wheezed as the hollow drew it's hand back. "I told you you weren't a match for the hollow. Why didn't you listen to me?" She coughed harshly then.

"Can you still fight?" Akira asked her worriedly. That injury of here did not look good.

"No," she replied solemly. "I am too injured to fight. One of you must do it."

"What?" Ichigo exclaime. "I thought you said we weren't strong enough to beat it!"

"As you are now you are no match for it," the Shinigami told them. "But there is a way, a way that will allow you to save your family."

"How?" Ichigo demanded immediately.

"One of you must become a Shinigami," she said bluntly. Her face was grave and there was no sign of falsehood to be seen in her face.

"One of us.....become a shinigami?" Akira asked, his mind working quickly. Didn't you have to be dead for that to happen? "How does that work?"

"I will temporarily be able to transfer some of my power to one of you," she explained. "It will not last long but it should be enough for you to defeat the Hollow. Which one of you will it be?"

Ichigo looked at Akira. From the look in his younger brother's eyes he wanted to do it but Ichigo could not allow that. He had promised to protect Akira with his life when he was younger and he was going to keep that promise, no matter what. He looked back at the Shinigami, determination burning deeply in his brown eyes.

"I'll do it," he said with total conviction. "How do I gain your powers?"

"Take my Zanpakto and stab it through your chest," she instructed. "My power will pass to you through my blade."

"Ichigo," Akira said, worry clear in his voice. "You don't have to, I an always do i-"

"Not a chance Otouto (little brother)," Ichigo told him sternly. His brown eyes bore into Akira's emerald ones. "I'm not putting you in that much danger."

"I'm already in danger!" Akira told him hotly.

"That's not what I mean and you know it!" Ichigo replied vehimently. "Look after Yuzu okay?" His voice had softened and Akira could see the unspoken request in his brother's eyes. If he didn't survive this then he wanted Akira to look after the family for him. Akira closed his eyes in defeat and gave a silent nod of acceptance. Ichigo smiled at his brother before turning back to the Shinigami.

"Now, give me your sword Shinigami," he told her, his voice ringing with finality. At that point the Hollow gave a deafening roar, it's patience wearing thin. The shinigami let a small smile cross her face as she looked at the orange haired teenager.

"Take it," she told him. "And it isn't 'Shinigami'. My name is Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki."

Ichigo returned the smile as he lifed the sword, setting the tip just above his chest.

"Well then, Rukia Kuchiki, lets hope that this isn't our last meeting." With taht he slammed the sword down, piercing his chest. A wave of spiritual pressure exploded from Ichigo and he was enveloped in smoke and light along with Rukia. Akira and Yuzu were blown back slightly by the force of it and they landed against the adjacent wall. Akira accidentally banged his arm against the sharp remains of a chair and caused a jagged gash to appear, running from his elbow to mid way to his wrist but he ignored it, his focus completely on the spot where Ichigo had dissappeared from view. As the smoke began to clear Akira felt his jaw go slack and his eyes widen.

Ichigo's outfit had changed. Now he was wearing a pair of hakama held up by a white sash along with tabi and zori (the socks and the sandles). He was wearing a black kimono like top and part of a white version could be seen underneath. That wasn't what Akira was staring at though. Accross Ichigo's back was one of the biggest swords he had ever seen. It was roughly the height of Ichigo's body, probably a little more as it was in a sheath that went horozontally accross Ichigo's back. It was held there by a red chain like thing that went over Ichigo's right shoulder. A smirk was on his face as he stared at the hollow. Akira could practically _feel_ the energy pulsating around his older brother. Then he turned his attention to Rukia.

She was staring at Ichigo with a look of complete and total shock on her face but that wasn't what caught his eye. Instead of her black Shinigami uniform (or at least he asumed that it was some kind of uniform) she was clothed all in white and her sword had vanished, dissappeared completely with no trace left whatsoever.

"How is this possible?" she whispered, looking down at her white clothes body. "I only meant to give him half of my power at the most, how did he take it all?"

"Are you alright?! Akira asked her, concern in his voice. Did the draining of power effect her in any way?

"I am fine," she replied absently, still staring at Ichigo. "But, how is this even possible? Not to mention the sheer size of his blade. I have never heard of a Zanpakto that size before."

"Ichigo is known for being unique," Akira told her, a small smirk crossing his face at the mention of his brother. There was no one around quite like Ichigo. If Rukia stuck around then she'd find that out first hand.

The hollow took the time to study Ichigo before lunging, it's mouth opening in a snarl as it charged towards the teenager. Ichigo moved, almost quicker than the eye could see, and unsheathed the giant sword from his back. Leaping into the air he used it to cleave the Hollow's left arm off. The creature let out a roar of pain before lunging at Akira, hoping for an easier meal. Ichigo did not approve of this.

"This is for attacking my family!" he yelled as he brought his Zanpakto down, slicing clean through the white as bone face of the hollow. The creature let out a screech/howl sound before it seemed to implode upon itself and dissappeared.

"It's over," Ichigo said tiredly, the adrenaline rush fading from his system leaving only tiredness behind.

"Nice job Ichigo," Akira told him, a small, proud smile pulling at the corners of his lips. Looks like Ichigo lived up to his name after all.

-o0o-

**AN: **Okay, I know that it was probably the most crappy chapter I've ever written but honestly it was like pulling teeth! I'm just glad that I finally finished the Ra-damned thing! Hopefully the next chapter will be easier and the writer's block won't kill me so much -dramatic sigh- Sorry again for the long delay in posting this but it really was hell to write.

**IMPORTANT!!!!!!!** A friend of mind (Rivaladmirer18) has some challenges up on her profile. They're really interesting and I've offered to put out some publicity for them. If you're interested go take a peak at her profile and try it out. Most are Harry Potter crossover challenges. There are some really good ideas there and if you fancy giving one of the ideas a go then just contact her by PM so she can read your work.

As always hope you enjoyed the chapter (bad as it probably was) and please leave a review on your way out! If you feel like flaming me then go right ahead, I won't mind but be warned that I figh fire with fire and I've got a fire-shadow sword-wielding Harry Potter/Akira Kurosaki on my side so you're kinda at a disadvantage here. -grins- Not to mention Ichigo, Toshiro and Hichigo so you guys better watch out!

Anyways, See you guys next time!

MG Mirani


	4. Chapter 4

Wow! I can't believe you guys like this fic so much! -huggles reviewers- You guys have been awsome! Don't expect all the updates to come this quick. This chpater seemed to write itself half the time which actually felt pretty good. Why cant'a ll the chapters be like that? -pouts- mean chapters!!! I don't really have much to say right now, meh, maybe later but for now lets just get onto the fic before you guys get bored -grins-

-o0o-

**Chapter 4: Dealing with the Consequences**

-o0o-

The next morning Akira woke early, his eyes opening slowly so he wouldn't blind himself. He'd done that plenty of times and it wasn't pleasant. His mind was foggy with sleep but his body was sore. Why was that? As the fog began to clear the events from last night flitted in front of his eyes. He shot up, his eyes widening. He looked around himself frantically. He was back in his and Ichigo's shared bedroom, his brother sound asleep in the other bed. Akira watched Ichigo as his deep breathing reached accross the room, the sound that had relaxed Akira so many times before. As usual it's calming effect washed over him and he could feel his muscles unclenching and relaxing as the deep breathing filtered into his ears.

"Was it all just a dream?" he asked himself quietly. It seemed like it but then why was his body so sore? He looked down at his arm and there it was, the gash he'd received the previous night. It had stopped bleeding a long time ago it seemed and nothing was left of it except a long white scar running from his elbow to mid way to his wrist.

"It wasn't a dream then," he whispered as he stared down at the scar and then back at Ichigo. He turned his head and looked at the alarm clock resting opn the table between their beds. He still had about a half an hour before their father came in to wake them up -cough- try and sneak attack them -cough-. He carefully got out of bed and crossed the small distance between his and his brother's bed before raising a hand and shaking Ichigo gently to wake him up.

"Ichigo," he said quietly. "Wake up Ichigo."

Ichigo began to stir, his head turning slightly in the direction of his brother's voice. His brown eyes opened slowly and he blinked, trying to clear the sleep from them. All of a sudden those brown eyes widened and Ichigo shot bolt upright in bed, breathing slightly heavier and glancing about the room in much the same manner as Akira.

"You okay?" he asked after calming himself down slightly althourh the worry was clear in his voice. There was slight confusion in his eyes, probably wondering the same thing AKira had wondered.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Akira replied.

"Did it really happen?" Ichigo asked. He wasn't sure if Akira knew what he was talking about, it could have all been a dream for all he knew. In response to his question however Akira raised his arm and showed Ichigo the new scar on his arm. Ichigo's eyes widened and he quickly grabbed Akira's wrist, studying the scar carefully.

"This is from last night?" he asked quietly. Akira nodded.

"Yeah," he replied quickly.

"When?" Ichigo asked him. "You didn't have it before did you?"

Akira thought it was probably best not to tell Ichigo that it was his spiritual pressure (hadn't Rukia called it Reiatsu?) that had blasted him back. Ichigo would feel really guilty about that and Akira didn't want to have to deal with a guilty Ichigo, it was never a pretty sight.

"I got it after the hollow knocked me over," Akira said finally. "I was holding Yuzu so you probably hadn't noticed. Besides, you were too busy kicking the hollow's ass!" Akira grinned at the last part. He had to hand it to his brother, when he went all out he really went all out. "You took it out in no time! My spell didn't even effect it!"

"Really?" Ichigo asked. Akira nodded before sitting on the side of Ichigo's bed. Ichigo shifted his body so he too was sitting on the edge of the bed beside his brother.

"So," Akira said. "What now?"

Ichigo sighed as he turned his head to look out the window. The early sunlight seemed watery as it filtered through the half closed curtains and from outside he could just hear the sounds of the day beginning, people walking to work, cars driving along the streets and the occasional bark of a neibour's dog. It all seemed so peaceful, so normal. All those people unaware of what was really out there, magical and spiritual.

"I don't know," he said finally.

-o0o-

They found out later that the rest of the family thought the damage done to their house was a result of a van smashing into it. How did that work? Yuzu was definitely awake when the hollow grabbged her adn Karin had seen the hollow enough to come run for them. It sounded a bit like a memory modifying spell. Did the Shinigami have that ability?

They met up with Tatsuki on their way to school, she was worried and kept throwing worried glances at Akira, or mors specifically at his arm where the school shrit didn't quite cover the scar. Finally Akira had had enough of it.

"Tatsuki!" he finally exclaimed. "I'm not a kid!"

"You are from up here though," she retorted, a teasing smile playing accross her lips. This was one of her favourite arguments. She just loved to tease Akira about his height. He glared at her for the coment but felt a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. You could always count on Tatsuki to lighten a mood.

"When I get a growth spurt I'll show you short!" He told her boldly. He knew that that probably wouldn't happen but he could always hope right?

"We'll see," she replied teasingly before turning to Ichigo and continuing to question him about the suposed rogue driver that had driven the truck into their house.

Pretty soon they reached thes chool building and the thowl thing started again, people coming up to them, asking about the incident, annoying them both. It was really getting old quickly. One of the worst was Inoue though. She kept stuttering when she was asking them and demanding to know if they were alright. Akira contained his slight annoyance at the girl. It wasn't her fault but she didn't need to keep asking them the same question over and over again. Thank Kami the bell rang, signaling the start of class.

They took their usual seats, Ichigo sitting at the window and Akira sitting just behind him, by the window.

"Settle down!" the teacher called. "We have a new student joining us today. Make her feel welcome."

The teacher gestured to the door and a girl came in. She was wearing the traditional school uniform for girls. This consisted of a grey pleated skirty that reached to about the knees along with a black T-shirt on top of which was a white blouse and a red tie-thinty. She was wearing white socks and black shoes to match and ther ewas a small white bracelet on her left wrist. She had black hair and blue eyes and Ichigo and Akira's jaws dropped. It was the Shinigami from last night. But, was that even possible? How were the others seeing her? Did Shinigami even go to school? Where'd she get the uniform from? She faced the class and smiled at them brightly.

"Hi," she said sweetly. "My name is Rukia Kuchiki. I look forward to getting to know you all!"

"Take a seat by.....Kurosaki," The teacher told her. Rukia nodded before walking to the chair just beside Ichigo. He was about to say something, probably something stupid, so Akira kicked the back of his chair quickly to tell him to shut up. Luckily it wasn't noticed by the teacher. Ichigo gave him a look but quickly turned back to the front of the class to listen as the teacher started her lecture.

Akira looked over at Rukia. She was facing forwards, appearing to be completely focused on the teacher as she discussed the finer points of synthetic division and differentiation but occasionally he would see her looking over at Ichigo, giving him a look and then turning back to face the front. If he hadn't been watching her so closely he wouldn't have noticed her qikcly pass a note onto Ichigo's table. Ichigo opened it, carefully angling it so that Akira could see what was written on it.

_Meet me after school. Don't make a scene. -Rukia Kuchiki_

Ichigo nodded towards her before turning back to the teacher. Akira sighed. Something told him this wouldn't be an easy day.

-o0o-

After school had ended for the day Ichigo and Akira made their way behind the school to a secluded area they sometimes visited when they wanted to be alone. It wasn't one of the most comfortable places but it was private and it would allow them to talk freely when Rukia arrived.

"Mind explaining?" Ichigo said immediately after Rukia arrived. "Why are you at our school? How can the others see you? Shouldn't you be out slaying hollows or whatever."

"Ichigo!" Akira admoished him. He wanted to know the same thing but his brother could at least use a little more tact when asking.

Rukia glanced at him, a slightly confused look in her eyes before turning back to Ichigo.

"Right now I am in a Gigai," she expained. "A Gigai is an artifial body used by Shinigami when they need to interact with the living world. It is quite useful although it is a little confining. As to your second question...." She trained off, appearing to considder something. Finally she sighed and looked at them seriously.

"To fight Hollows I would need to actually be a shinigami," she told them. Her eyes were hard as she stared at Ichigo. "Unfortunately thanks to last night's incident that is no longer the case."

"What do you mean?" Akira asked.

"I only intended to release half of my power," she told them. Then she turned completely to Ichigo and looked him in the eye, her dark blue ones completely serious. "Something went wrong. Instead of transferring half of my reiyoku (spiritual power) I transfered all of it. I am unable to do my duties as a Shinigami until they return. Thus you must do it."

"What?!" Ichigo and Akira exclaimed as they looked at her. She couldn't be serious could she?

"Are you sure?" Akira asked her.

"I am positive," she replied, a frown crossing her face. "He must fight the hollows in my place until I am able to regain my powers as a Shinigami."

"No way!" Ichigo told her firmly. "I'm not doing it!"

She glared at him, her eyes hard as ice.

"You have to," she told him firmly. Her voice, which before had been annoyed, had turned to anger. "I cannot protect the souls and send them on. How are they suposed to pass on if no one helps them?"

"Not my problem," Ichigo told her bluntly. Akira looked from Ichigo to Rukia, his eyes darting between the two as if watching a tennis match. This was not good. He was caught in the middle of this. He could see Ichigo's point, it wasn't his fault he had the powers and it wasn't his problem but on the other hand.....All those spirits, who would help them? They'd been helping the ghosts before. Was this really any different.

"Come on," Rukia told Ichigo before hitting him over the head with something. Immediately his body fell backwards, leaving him in his Shinigami outfit (Giant kickass sword included) and gaping at her.

"Don't just stand there!" She told him irritably before grabbing his arm and beginning to run towards the school gates. Ichigo had no choice but to be dragged after her, protesting all the way. Akira followed, finding it funny that such a tall guy like Ichigo was being dragged around by a girl shorter than him. He wasn't about to let Ichigo live this one down any time soon, that was for sure. He made sure he had a good grip on his backpack before folliwing them. He didn't have any intention of being left behind after all.

He managed to catch up with Rukia. Despite his short legs hers were still a little shorter. He noticed quickly that the three of them were headed towards the park.

"Why are we headed this way?" he asked between pants. Ichigo was still protesting and cursing at being dragged along by Rukia. It was quite amusing really but Akira ignored his big brother in favour of focusing on the short ex-shinigami.

"You'll see," she answered before facing forwards and concentrating on dragging the reluctant Ichigo after her.

Pretty soon they reached the park and Rukia stopped, letting go of Ichigo so he overbalanced and fell flat on the ground, face first. Akira stifled his laughter as Ichigo got to his feet, glaring hard at Rukia.

"What the hell was that for?!" he demanded immediately.

"I told you earlier," she said, her voice clearly annoyed. "I am unable to fight the hollows and as a substitute it falls to you."

"And I told you I'm not doing it!" Ichigo replied hotly.

"You don't have a choice!" Rukia shot back.

"Yes I do!" Ichigo retorted hotly. "It's my life we're talking about!"

"And the lives of all the souls that are potential victims of hollows!" Rukia replied angrily. "Who is going to watch over them?!"

"Not my problem!" Ichigo told her firmly. Akira idly wondered how this looked to passers by, Rukia yelling at thin air like a mad man-um, sorry, woman. She was receiving some strange looks from passers by and since he was beside her he received some as well. They ranged from 'what's up with her' to 'why's he standing by the crazy person?' and other things like that. Rukia ignored them though, completely focused on the orange haired teen-turned-shinigami before her.

Just then there was a shrieking noise from the other side of the park. Akira, who until this point had been quiet, cursed and turned towards the sound. He recognised that sound, there was no way he was ever going to forget it. It was another hollow and it was heading straight for them.

Running in front of the hollow was a kid, he couldn't have been more than ten or eleven with short brown hair and eyes. Those brown eyes were wide and fearful as he continued to run from the monster. The hollow let out a howl before swiping at the kid. The kid tripped, missing the claws completely by accident and falling to the ground.

"Damn it!" Ichigo curesed before running towards the hollow. He drew his insanely big sword from his back and quickly cut the hollow's face in half. Like last night the hollow seemed ti implode upon itself. It let out a disgusting sounding shriek before the echos faded and it was as if the creature had never been there at all. The kid looked up at Ichigo with big, brown eyes. Akira and Rukia ran over to join Ichigo as he knelt down to crouch beside the kid.

"Are you alright?" he asked. The kid nodded, still clearly in shock.

"Now you must proform a Konsou," Rukia instructed. "Touch your blade to his forehead." Ichigo nodded before gently resting the tip of the hilt against the kid's forehead. The kid smiled at them as he was enveloped in a soft light before fading from the living world completely, reappearing somewhere in Rukongai.

"See," Rukia told him.

"See what?" Ichigo demanded.

"You must protect the spirits from the hollows," she replied as if it were obvious. "You just proved right here that you are capable of doing it."

"I told you the answer is no!" Ichigo said with finality. "It's my life and my choice and I choose not to do it. Now I'm outta here!" With that Ichigo turned and began to make his way back to the school to get back to his body. He only hoped that no one had seen it and taken it anywhere while he wasn't there.

"Sorry," Akira told Rukia apologetically. "He'll come around. Ichigo may have a hard head but his heart's in the right place, most of the time anyway. Don't worry about it. It'll all turn out fine, I'm sure of it." With a small smile at Rukia he turned and began to make his way after his brother, shaking his head slightly.

Rukia stood there for a minute or tow, looking after the two retreating figures.

"Why wasn't he effected?" she asked herself out loud, not all that bothered that anyone who passed by her would probably think her loony for talking to herself. "He should have been effected the same as the rest of the family but he was not. Why is that? Why does he still have his memories of last night? Who exactly is he? It can't be because he has reiatsu. The younger ones have some reiatsu but they were still affected so why wasn't he?"

-o0o-

After Ichigo re-entered his body the two of them began to make their way home, stopping off at the street where the girl lived to say hello before making their way back to the house. Ichigo was still complaining about Rukia when the pair ran into Orihime.

"Hi!" she said brightly when she spotted them.

"Hey Inoue," Ichigo replied without really thinking.

"Hi," Akira replied in the same manner.

Ichigo looked at her and his eyes widened as he took in a bruise on her leg.

"How'd you do that Inoue?" he asked. Akira looked to where Ichigo's eyes were focused and gasped slightly as he saw the dark bruise marring the skin of her leg. It was a deep purple and it seemed to wind around her leg like a thick ribbon. Something felt off about it, unnatural somehow.

"Oh, I got it when I was almost hit by a car!" she told them cheerfully, as if getting hit by a car was actually not a big deal.

"When you _what?"_ Akira asked incredulously. How was this girl so cheery after something like_ that_ happened?

"Oh, it wasn't a big deal," she said, brushing the incident off. "It was kinda my fault actually. I wasn't looking where I was going and just before the car hit me someone pulled me back." she frowned then, her forehead wrinkling in concentration. "I didn't see who it was. I'd like to thank them though! I almost lost all my groceries when I was almost hit."

"What's in the bags?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"Food for tonight!" she replied brightly. "I'm makign spagetti with chocolate sauce and some mashed potatos with Wasabi and miso rice!"

The pair stared at her. Was she serious? Then again, knowing her she probably was. Orihime Inoue was well known within the school for having the strangest taste in food. Akira shuddered at the memory of some of her creations. There was the time she'd made squid with raspberry sauce and sweet curry. That would probably be considdered one of her more _normal_ recepes. He really didn't want to think what she came up with when she got creative.

"Good luck with that," Akira said dully. He never wanted to taste her food. No offense to her but he'd rather keep his taste buds in tact thank you very much.

"Thanks!" she told him, smiling. She glanced over at Ichigo who was still staring at her leg with a concerned expression on his face.

"Do you want us to help you take those back to your place?" he asked her.

She seemed flustered for a moment, her face turning as bright as her hair as she looked at Ichigo. Akira mentally sighed.

'Great,' he thought. 'Here we go again.'

To his surprise, and secret relief, Inoue refused their help, saying that her house wasn't too far away and that she'd manage perfectly fine on her own. When she left Akira turned to Ichigo, a strange look on his face.

"Did you feel that?" he asked his big brother.

"You mean her leg?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah," Akira replied. "It felt..._wrong_. I don't know why but it didn't feel right to me, ya know?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. "There was something about it, almost like....." He trailed off, trying to think of what the feeling reminded him of.

"Like a hollow," Akira put in. He stared after Inoue, watching her retreating back. Something told him that this wasn't over yet.

-o0o-

Later that day the brothers were back in their room. Akira was sitting at the desk while Ichigo was lying on the bed. Akira was doing his homework. No, not his school homework, his magic homework. The Japanese tended to take a more practical approach to learning and so appart from a few selected classes most were all practical with the option to take the theory side of the coriculum if the student wished to go into developing his/her own spells and things like that. Akira had opted to take the theory side of transfiguration, figuring that it would probably help him with his animagus training. He was doing quite well. According to his transfiguration teacher, Yumi Zukora, he was ahead of many students his age. He had almost completed the transfiguration course, the only thing he had to do now was to practice doing the spells wandlessly and complete his animagus transformation but that part of the coriculum wasn't scheduled to start until after the summer. That didnt' stop him researching it though. According to many of the books he had read the first step in becoming an animagus was to brew the animagus potion.

This potion was a very tricky one and often it required the help of the teacher to ensure that the student didn't screw up. The teacher often held back though, choosing to let the student atempt the potion and only interfering if it was absolutely necessary. The students wouldn't learn if they were hand fed all the information after all. Where was I? Oh yes, the potion. Once injested the potion causes the drinker to enter a medative like state. The person is then sent into a dream like world (their inner world he would find out later) where they would 'meet' their animal. Once the form of the student was found the student would be awoken from the dream and would immediately start training. First it was important to master wandless transfiguration so that the student cound transform individual parts of their body, arms, hands, feet and that sort of thing. Only when the person had fully mastered turning separate parts of their body into the different parts of their animagus form could they fully transform. It usually took up to three months to complete the training but with complete dedication some were known to complete the transformation within a month. Akira wasn't that bothered about how long it took him to transform. He was just so excited to find out what his own form would be. Right now he was studying the background to the animagus transformation and the theory behind guiding the magic around your body to cause the change.

According to the book the magical core of a person was located directly where their heart resides in the body. From there the magic branches out, like little pathways like the veins and arteries in a body. From there the magic circulates throughout the body like blood flow and if not used up then the magic returns to the core or difuses out. Some magic is lost through this process but not too much and it is only really noticable after a long period of time when the person wielding the magic is completing many spells. They will notice a drain on their magic and the fact that some of the magic is lost does not help much. In order to complete the animagus transformation the student needed to guide their magic to the part of their body they wished to change and from there will the magic to do what they wanted. In order to complete wandless spells the same procedure was needed but the magic was often only directed at the hands and no where else. This is why the transformation was so hard to some to learn, especially the western wizards and witches who relied so much on their wands. They were unused to guiding their magic, relying on their wand so much. It created a direct pathway to their core and thus did not force them to make the magic travel where they wished it to go.

Akira idly wondered if Spirutual pressure worked the same way as magic, going around the body. It was an interesting theory. He wouldn't mind asking Rukia to find out if she knew. He also wondered if it would be possible to combine the two. It was definitely something to think about. According to her he had spiritual pressure as well. He thought back to last night, when the hollow had attacked. His magic had had absolutely no effect whatsoever on the hollow. Why was that? Well, reiatsu was completely spiritual right? And magic was a physical force. So, did the two cancel each other out? It seemed possible. After all, 'For every action there is an equal and oposite reaction'. Could that be what had happened?

Akira was broken from his thoughts when Yuzu came into the room.

"Have either of you seen my PJs?" she asked them. "I can't find them anywhere. I can't find my dress either, the white and blue one. Do you know where they are?"

"Sorry Yu," Akira replied. "I haven't seen them. "Have you Ichigo?"

"No," Ichigo replied. "Sorry Yuzu."

"That's okay," she answered, appearing only slightly dissappointed. "Well, if you see them will you tell me please?"

"Sure thing Imoto-chan, (Little Sister)" Akira replied as Yuzu turned and shut the door after leaving the room.

Akira turned, ready to go back to his homework when suddenly a ringing sound came from somewhere in the wardrobe. He and Ichigo looked at each other, confused.

"What the hell was that?" Ichigo asked. Akira stood up, ready to open up the wardrobe but something, or rather, _someone_ beat him to it.

"What the hell Rukia!" Ichigo exclaimed as he saw Rukia jump out of he and Akira's shared wardrobe. "What were you doing in there?!"

"Getting ready to go to sleep," she replied nonchalauntly. "Anyway, we've got a new one."

"New one?" Ichigo asked, confused.

"A new Hollow has just appeared in Karakura," Rukia replied. She walked over to the window and pointed out of it. "According to my soul pager it's coming from over there."

"Soul pager?" Akira asked.

"This," Rukia replied, holding up a cell phone like device. It was white in colour. The screen was a dark grey and looked like some kind of map right now. A red beep was moving on the screen. Akira asumed that it was the hollow she was talking about.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not doing your job!" Ichigo said in an exasperated voice. "How many times do I have to say it before it sinks into that thick skull of yours?"

"As long as it takes for _you_ to get off yoru ass and take care of the hollows!" Rukia shot back hotly. She raised her other hand, the one not holding the soul pager, and pointed at the red blip on the screen. "This hollow right now is in the residential district of Karakura town. How many innocent souls do you think it will devour tonight? And the night after that and the night after that! As a Shinigami, substitute or not, it is your duty to protect them!"

"Wait a sec," Akira said as he looked at the map on the soul pager again. "I know tha tarea. Isn't that where Inoue lives?"

Immediately Ichigo's demenour changed. He leapt up from where he'd been sitting on the bed and rushed over to Rukia, peering more closely at the screen.

"It is," he said grimly. He faced Rukia, giving her his full attention. "Fine then, turn me into a Shinigami."

"You can't have it both ways Ichigo," she told him seriously, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the teenager before her. "Either you accept your responsibilities as a Substitute Shinigami or you do not. You do not get to pick and choose who you help and do not help. All souls, living or dead, are equal and should be treated as such. Just because you know this person does not give them priority over everyone else."

She finished her speech, looking deep into his eyes, trying to convey the seriousness of what she was saying. Her dark blue-violet eyes stared into his chocolate honey ones.

"You must choose Ichigo Kurosaki," she told him gravely, her voice soft and completely serious. her eyes were as hard as granite and bright as diamonds "This is your final chance. Either you refuse and this person, Inoue, suffers because of it or you accept your responsibility as a Substitute Shinigami and help her and all the other souls. You brought this burden upon yourself when you agreed to let me pass on my powers to you. Now, what is your decision Ichigo Kurosaki? Think carefully and choose wisely for there is no going back after this. If you choose not to accept it then it is over, I will not ask you again. Well? What will it be?"

Ichigo looked to Akira who stared back at him. His emerald green eyes locked with Ichigos.

"I can't make this choice for you Nii-chan (big brother)," Akira told him. "It's your choice, not mine. Whatever you choose though," he smiled at Ichigo. "I'll support you all the way. After all, what are brothers for?" He smiled softly at Ichigo. Ichigo returned the smile before closing his eyes and going through everything slowly, calmly (shock-horror! Ichigo being calm!) He took in a deep breath, allowing his lungs to fill before releasing it slowly.

He opened his eyes and stared resolutely at Rukia, a hard, determined look on his face. His brown eyes were blazing and looked like molton gold as he stared at her.

"Very well," he said somberly. "I'll do it, I'll take your place 'til your powers come back."

"Is that your final answer?" Rukia asked him. "Once you agree to this there is no turning back. You could be called at any time, during school, during the middle of the night, any time there is a hollow you must go to it and clense it. Do you understand Ichigo?"

"Yeah," the orange haired teen replied. "I've made my choice."

-o0o-

**AN: **Well? What do you guys think? I don't know how I managed to get this chapter up so fast. I can't believe how much easier this chapter was compared with the last one! I mean, last time I wanted to keep hitting my head against the key board but this one the stuff just kept pouring outta my head! Did you guys understand the magical animagus stuff I was talking about? If not then feel free to ask me to explain it more to you and I'll explain it better in a review reply or if enough people ask then I'll put it up at the beginning of the next chapter.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'm looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say when you review (if you decide to that is)

Anyways, thanks for reading and C'ya next time!

MG Mirani

PS: The wasabi in the potato thing, I have actually heard of someone doing that. I saw it om 'Master Chief' I think it was called. -shudders- I don't think I'd try that any time soon. Using wasabi in a prank on the other hand.....-evil grin- you'll just have to wait and see.


	5. Chapter 5

Hiya everyone! I'm glad so many of you are enjoying this fic so much! -grins- you guys have been awsome. I've got some important stuff to tell you though so please read this author's note.

_**IMPORTANT!!!!!!! PLEASE DO NOT SKIP THOS AN!!!!!!!!!**_

1) Some of you have been asking about the pairing. The pairing for Akira has been decided. Most of you have figured it out by now but I won't spoil it for the rest of ya. No, Ichigo and Akira will not be paired together in this fic. They are brothers and that is all. They are just really close. Any romance in this fic will not happen for a _long_ time! I don't just want it to happen out of the blue. It's going to build up slowly so that it's stable and believable.

2) I have had requests for pairings with Ichigo. Now, I'm okay with writing a pairing for Ichi that is het or slash so I want you guys to decide okay. I've managed to narrow it down to the two most popular. Please tell me which you prefer and why. It won't be important until later on but I would like to get it out of the way as soon as possible so that I know what I'm doing later. The two most popular are

Hichi/Ichi

Ichi/Ruki

Please tell me which one you guys want. This is important to me. Thank you

3) One reviewer pointed out to me that I hadn't actually said what the punishment for the Dursleys was. I'll admit that that was my bad -sweatdrops- sorry about that. They HAVE been punished. In a couple chapters I'll do a recap chapter about the story from the point of the Wizarding World in the UK. This should clear everything up and thanks again to the reviewer that pointed that mistake out to me.

4) If something happens in my fic that is the exact same as in cannon the I hope you guys won't mind me skipping it for the time being. It is tedious to write about stuff that is the exact same as the anime/manga and I think it wastes both my time and your time so I just want to make this clear to everyone. I want the Karakura arc over and done with so I can get into the really interesting stuff.

I think that's everything. Thank you for reading this authors note and I hope you enjoy the chapter. Just to give you guys a heads up I needed to use a flashback in this chapter -winces in pain- I hate doing it cuz I hate flashbacks but it IS important and it won't be a long one. Sorry again guys but it's unavoidable unless I type up the whole scene with Sora, Inoue and Tatsuki and I DO NOT want to do that!

Sorry there haven't been that many fight scenes in this fic but hopefully that'll be made up for later on. I hope -hides from angry readers-

Anyways, I'll stop here. Enjoy the chapter folks!

-o0o-

**Chapter 5:**

-o0o-

Rukia nodded at Ichigo before hitting him over the head. For the first time Akira noticed the glove she wore. It was red and fingerless with a picture of a skull on it. It must have something in it that dispelled the soul from the body. Ichigo's body immediately crumpled, falling in a heap on the bed behind him. He was in his shinigami outfit again. There was something about Ichigo when he was dressed like that. The black outfit seemed to highlight his strangely orange hair and the red sash like thing holding his sword to his back looked like many little drops of blood joined together. Akira smiled as he looked at Ichigo. He'd made the right dicision.

"What's the quickest way to get to Inoue's?" Ichigo asked Rukia. She'd come through his wall after all, she must know some faster ways to travel then to run.

"I'll climb on your back," she told him. "All you need to do is use your spititual pressure to help you jump from ledge to ledge. It's easy enough after the first time and it is much quicker than running. It's a basic skill taught at the Shinigami academy. It can also be used so that you hover in mid air and it gives you greater height to your jumps so you can go higher and travel farther. It is hard to master it completely but you should be able to travel a short distance. Push your Reiatsu downwards."

"There's only room for one person," Akira pointed out. Ichigo was strong but there was no way he'd be able to carry both Rukia and Akira when he was trying to run. It'd be impossible, even for Ichigo. "I'll stay."

"You sure?" Ichigo asked him. Akira didn't often volinteer to stay behind. He liked to be near the action, near Ichigo just as Ichigo liked to be near Akira. They had each others' back.

"Yeah," Akira told him. "I'd only slow you down. Go ahead but you'd better come back." He said the last part with a teasing smile but there was a hidden seriousness in his eyes along with a hint of worry. Ichigo sensed it and gave Akira a small brotherly hug.

"No worries," Ichigo gold him with a cocky smirk on his face. "I'll handle this in no time. Let's go Rukia."

The short girl nodded and quickly scrambled onto Ichigo's back. She wasn't that much bigger than Yuzu or Karin so he was able to carry her without much dificulty. Ichigo breathed in deeply before running at the window and jumping, leaving Akira behind in the empty room.

Akira stared after his big brother as he watched Ichigo jump from roof top to roof top. He looked like one of those superheros out of an American cartoon or comic book. What was that show again? Oh yes, X-men. Akira grinned to himself. Ichigo did act a little like one of the characters from the show, just younger and without the claws or smoking habbit.

Akira looked around their bedroom before shifting Ichigo's body so that it simply looked like the teen was sleeping. Akira pulled the blankets over the soulless body before turning back to the desk and completing the remainder of his homework before switching off the desk lamp he'd been working by and sat on his own bed. The large light in the room was off and the room was simply lit by a small lamp on the shared bed side table. It was just enough light to see by and it wasn't enough to blind the eyes.

The house was quiet so Akira decided that it was about time he started his meditating. He'd forgotten about it yesterday. Who wouldn't when a hollow comes crashing into your home? He'd need to do it tonight though. If he wanted to master Oclumency then he'd have to master meditating and clearing his mind first of all.

Oclumency was the study of shielding the mind from invaders. There were a few different ways to do this but the first step to all these methods was to clear the mind and that state of clarity was only available by meditating. Some took to the excercise quite easily while others found it extremely difficult. Akira personally thought he was somewhere in between the two.

Akira didn't sit in the usual position for meditating. Instead he leaned back against his pillows slightly so that his back was supported and closed his eyes. Sometimes he was even able to do it while pacing. Ichigo termed it 'active meditation'.

He closed his eyes and began to focus on his breathing. In....out.....in.....out....over and over again. He felt his pulse slow as he continued the deep breathing. In through the nose and out through the mouth. His muscles unclenched and he could feel his body sagging slightly against the pillow behind him. Good, that meant it was working. He continued his inner mantra of 'in' and 'out' for another few minutes before stopping, simply allowing his body to continue on it's own without any prompts. He didn't force his mind blank, that was the last thing he needed to do. By trying to force the mind to not focus on anything the task of meditation became harder and sometiems impossible. It was not a forceful thing and by focussing too hard on clearning your mind you unintentionally filled it. It had taken Akira a while to finally get that through his head but eventually he'd learned.

In.....out.....in.....out.....in.....out. The manta continued. Akira could feel himself sinking, sinking into himself as he continued meditating.

This was the furthest he'd been able to achieve so far. It was hard, letting everything go to get into this state. Finally, after what felt like an eternity he resurfaced. He turned his head to look at the clock on the bed side table. It was a full half an hour later. Ichigo wasn't back yet but he wasn't concerned. Ichigo coule handle himself and he doubted that Rukia would let anything happen to him. With that in mind Akira turned off the lamp, curled up on his side and drifted to sleep, images of Ichigo kicking Hollow's asses engraved into his brain.

-o0o-

On their way to school the next morning Ichigo told Akira about what had happened at Inoues. To say the least Akira was surprised. Maybe he'd underestimated Inoue a bit. If she was able to face a hollow, even if it was her brother, then the girl definitely had some backbone after all.

"That wasn't the weirdest part though," Ichigo continued after telling Akira about sending Sora to Soul Society. "What really surprised me was Tatsuki."

"Really?" Akira asked. "How come?"

-o0o-

_Flashback_

-o0o-

Ichigo jumped from building to building, racing as fast as he could towards Inoue's house. It was hard. He pushed his reiatsu into his feet as he ran. It felt strange and his movements were jerky and slightly out of control. He had to keep it together though. He wouldn't let someone he knew get hurt. Rukia was climging onto him, directing him as they went. He knew the way but it felt different when he was actually going along the buildings instead of using the streets so her directions were definitely appreciated.

As they approaced the house Ichigo felt it, the strange feeling he got whenever a hollow was around. He sped up, pushing more power to his legs.

"Not so much!" Rukia told him as she clung to him tighter. "Too much and you'll end up making yourself crash into a building!"

He ignored her for now and continued sppeding towards the source of the feeling.

'Hang on Inoue,' he thought. 'Here I come'.

As he reached the street he looked in the window of Inoue's house and what he saw made his eyes widen and he froze.

He saw Inoue on the floor, unconcious. He could just make out the shape of a hollow's arm from where he was standing but that wasn't what was making him stare. Between Inoue and the hollow stood Tatsuki. She was clearly glaring at it and her arms were raised in a defensive stance. What disturbed Ichigo were two things. First of all that Tatsuki could see the hollow in the first place. Since when could she see ghosts? The second thing explained it though. Connecting to her chest was a silver chain that connected her to a limp body lying beside Inoue.

"Oh shit," Ichigo muttered. "This isn't good."

-o0o- Inside the house -o0o-

Tatsuki glared at the momster in front of her. It was big and ugly. It was a reddy-brown colour except for it's face which was bone white. The mouth was stretched into a malicious grin as it stared at them. It's eyes were two red pinpricks in black voids.

"_Stand aside,"_ it ordered. "_I do not care for you. I want Orihime,"_

"Well too bad!" Tatsuki said defiantly. "You want her you'll have to go through me first!" She raised her right fist a little higher to illistrate her point as she glared at the thing. There was no way it was getting anywhere near Orihime if she had anything to do with it.

"_So be it then,"_ the thing said before it raised one if it's clawed hands and swung at her.

Tatsuki braced herself, closed her eyes and formed an 'x' shape with her arms, atempting to block at least part of the blow. What happened next shocked both her and the hollow. She felt a strange warmth spread through her and she opened her eyes. The source of the warmth was coming from the necklace she always wore. She looked down to see the necklace pulsing slightly, glimmering with a violet light.

"What the hell?" she muttered as she stared at it. The necklace was comprised of six leaves coloured a deep violet. The veins of the leaves were picked out in a slightly lighter shade and they were joined by the ends which formed a star like shape with a violet jem holding them together. Akira had given it to her on her last birthday. She didn't have anymore time to think however as suddenly the hollow shook off it's shock and swiped at her again. Her arms were still raised and as she grit her teeth and got ready to try and block it the necklace pulsed again. This time however the light from the necklace spread, moving along her shoulders, along her arms and focussing on the area between her elbows and wrists. THey glowed bright violet and as the creature brought it's clawed hand down on her crossed arms. Just when Tatsuki thougth it'd tear right through her arms it stopped. Vibrations went through her body at the force of the impact. What the hell? How did her arms stop that thing? Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that though. She still needed to protect Orihime and thinking wasn't going to make that happen.

Tatsuki acted on pure instinct. She took a deep breath and quickly pushed back, surprising the hollow enough that it was forced back slightly.

_"Why you little...." _It let out a deafening roar. Tatsuki had to cover her ears. The hollow took the chance she unwittingly offered and swiped at her again, knocking her back and making her hit her head on the wall behind her.

-o0o- Outside Building -o0o-

"What are you waiting for!" Rukia demanded. She was just as surprised as Ichigo, possibly more so, but this was not the time to be thinking about that. "Move! Are you just going to stand here while they get devowered by that hollow?"

That was all the prompting Ichigo needed. Replacing his usual scowl on his face he took a deep breath before qukckly entering Inoue's house through the shattered window.

-o0o-

_End Flashback_

-o0o-

After Sora had been sent to the soul society Rukia had managed to return both Inoue and Tatsuki to their bodies. She'd then done a memory wipe, clearing the memory of last night's events from their minds. Akira had frowned when hearing about this. It sounded an awful lot like what the Brittish wizards did after the Statute of Secrecy was breached.

"They were not harmed," Rukia assured him quickly. "I do not approve of this method entirely but it is necessary in these situations. If they knew about the ghosts and hollows then it would put them in greater danger."

"What about Tatsuki?" Akira asked.

"I don't know," Rukia admitted reluctantly. "I haven't come accross anything like this and, as far as I am aware, neither has anyone else in the Seireitei. For now I think we should just watch her."

"Fine," Akira replied. "What'll happen to their memories exactly?"

"The memories are still there," Rukia explained. "They are just surpressed and new ones are created. These depend greatly on the imagination of the person being targetted."

"So it could be anything?" Ichigo asked.

"Anything," Rukia confirmed. "We'll just have to wait and see."

They found out soon enough. It was all over school.

"I'm telling you!" Inoue was saying to a group of their fellow students as they entered the classroom. "It's what really happened!"

"Yeah right!" one of the students said, a kid with short black hair and unremarkable brown eyes. "You seriously expect us to believe that some Yakuza wannabees broke into your place last night? On motorbikes shaped like different types of fish?"

"It really happened!" Inoue insisted. "Didn't it Tatsuki?"

Tatsuki gave a noncomittal noise in reply before turning back around in her chair and rubbing her head. Akira could practically feel himself sweatdropping. He was pretty sure Ichigo and Rukia were doing the same. That girl had one_ very_ strange imagination.

The day passed in relative normalty for the rest of the time they were in school. So, what that basically means is that everyone was pretty much bored out of their minds in their classes. Finally the final bell rang and they were free to escape.

As they were making their way out of the school building they ran into someone. He was tall, way taller than Ichigo with brown hair the covered his eyes slightly. It was obvious that he wasn't completely Japanese. He was holding a bird cage with a parakeet inside.

"Hey Chad," Ichigo greeted. He, Akira and Chad were good friends. They'd bee close ever since they'd met when they'd helped Chad out of a sticky situation with some bullies. Well, Chad could have handled it by himself but he didn't like to fight for what he considdered selfish reasons.

"Ichigo," Chad rumbled. He looked from Ichigo to Akira to Rukia. "New friend?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. "This is Rukia Kuchiki. Rukia, this is Yasutora Sado but we just call him Chad."

"Nice to meet you," Rukia said politely, holding out a hand for the big teen to shake.

"What've you got there Chad?" Akira asked as he looked at the bird. It was staring at them and Akira got the feeling that there was more to that little birdie then met the eye.

"I got him a while ago," Chad answered. "He's suposed to be cursed."

"Cursed?" Akira asked. That definitely didn't sound good. If they weren't in such a public place then he might take out his wand and to a check on the bird but it was way too risky, plus Chad and Rukia didn't know about his magic so it most definitely wasn't a good idea.

"Yeah," Chad answered. "Apparently whoever owns this bird has some sort of accident."

"Are they fatal?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Chad replied. "I need to go. See you later Ichigo, Akira, Rukia." With that Chad turned and made his way down the street, the bird cage safely clutched in his strong hand.

"There's something off about this," Akira muttered as he stared after Chad.

"Definitely," Ichigo agreed.

"I got a strange feeling from the bird," Rukia said thoughtfully. "It was not normal."

"What could it be?" Akira asked.

"I don't know," Rukia muttered, her eyes narrowed as she gazed at Chad's retreating back.

-o0o-

Ichigo cursed as he dodged another blow from the hollow. Damn it but this one was annoying. Behind him he heard Akira tell him to duck. He did so without thinking and, thankfully, dodged another attack by the ugly-ass hollow.

_"Damn it brat!"_ The hollow boomed. "_Hold still!"_

"Not a chance in hell!" Ichigo retorted before raising his sword to block the hollow. "Why the hell are you chasing this kid anyway?"

_"It's simple really,"_ the hollow said, almost conversationally. _"I'm having fun."_

"Fun?" Akira and Ichigo asked at the same time.

"_Exactly,"_ the hollow replied. _"He's the reason I'm like this. Before I died I would be what you considdered a 'criminal'. I enjoyed what I did and I was good at it, I hadn't been caught, not enough evidence to catch me. Then one night I decided to have a little 'fun' after I saw this kid's mother enter her house. I followed her and well, had my fun."_ The hollow laughed. Ichigo's eyes narrowed more and he hissed like an angry cat. Akira was glaring at the hollow. Rukia was injured from keeping the hollow destracted so she couldn't really do much.

"_After I'd finished with her,"_ the hollow continued. "_I was about to be on my way when this little brat got in my way. We fell over the edge of the railing and we died. I've been following the brat ever since, said that if he could keep outta my jaws for a month then I'd bring his precious 'mommy' back."_ The hollow laughed sickeningly at this and Akira felt a shiver run up his spine.

"How the hell is that possible?" Ichigo demanded.

"_You fool!" _It laughed. "_It's not! I lied to the brat. Of course I couldn't bring his little 'mommy' back! It was all a sport and I've enjoyed every single delicious moment of it. Thanks to this kid I've gotten my claws into o many tasty souls, including yours!"_ with that the hollow lunged forward and opened it's mouth as if to eat Ichigo whole. Ichigo was too swift though and quickly leapt back so all it got was a mouthful of concrete.

"You bastard," Ichigo growled at it before leaping forward and swinging his sword down, atempting to cleave it's mask in half. He missed as the hollow dodged to the right and he managed to cut a long gash down the creature's arm. It howled in pain before spinning and trying to swipe at him again.

_"I'll get you for that Shinigami,"_ it hissed.

"Come and get me then," Ichigo challenged.

Meanwhile Akira had made his way over to Rukia and was looking her over. She'd done a good job of destracting the hollow before they'd come but she was pretty battered up. She had a few cuts and bruises running along her arms, legs and a couple on her face. Her right wrist was swollen and her left leg was bent at a slightly awkward angle.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I tried to dodge him and I wasn't fast enough," Rukia answered, sounding slightly bitter. "This body is so slow. My reflexes are not what they should be. I avoided his claws but unfortunately he managed to throw me into the wall behind me."

Akira lifted her wrist gently to check it. Rukia hissed at the pain the slight movement caused. Akira quickly apologized and bent his head to study it. From his brief training he could tell that it wasn't broken, just badly sprained. That was good at least. Her leg on the other hand was another matter. He was pretty sure that it was broken. Now he had a problem. Should he tell her about his magic? She'd told them about being a Shinigami and she'd given her powers to Ichigo. He knew about her but she didn't know about him. Was it fair that he was keeping it from her? Akira sucked in a breath before coming to a snap decision. He'd worry about the consequences later.

He quickly flicked his wrist and his wand snapped from the hidden pocket of his sleeve into his hand. It'd taken him a while to master that little trick but once he had it'd come in real handy. It only worked if his wand was within two feet of his body unfortunately so it was no use for summoning it from long range distances but it was still handy.

"What is that?" Rukia asked as she stared at the fancy 'stick' Akira was holding.

"You'll see," Akira replied. "Just hold still for a bit okay?." Rukia nodded warily but did as she was told. Akira took a deep breath before raising his wand and pointing it at her wrist which he'd let go of a minute ago.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered. "_Suringuni Baindo" _(Bind in a sling)

Immediately a thick cloth issued from the tip of Akira's wand and began to wind itself around Rukia's wrist. She gasped as it wrapped around her arm before Akira flicked his wand and a portion of it went around her neck and tied off making a sling.

"What the-"

"Not now!" Akira told her quickly. "I'll explain later. I think your leg's broken. If I get you a stick can you use it and me to lean on?"

"I think so," she replied carefully. Akira nodded before pointing his wand at a random brick and saying "_Henkan" _(Transform). As he did this he pictured the brick getting thinner and longer, it's stone atoms shifting into those of wood. Soon where the brick had once been there was a walking stick with a handle at the top shaped like a rabbit. Rukia shot him a slight glare but he only grinned at her. He couldn't resist. He'd seen her drawings and........lets just leave it at that.

Akira reached over and grabbed the stick and handed it to Rukia who grabbed it with her uninjured hand. Akira carefully grabbed her other shoulder and stood up, taking her with him carefully. Rukia hissed as she accidentally put pressure on her injured leg but quickly used the stick and Akira to balance. She panted slightly and Akira cast her a worried look.

"I'll be fine," she told him resolutely. She turned back to the fight and noticed that Ichigo was beginning to get the upper hand on the hollow.

"Take this!" Ichigo shouted as he swung his blade in a downwards ark, almost completely severing the hollow's right arm. It screeched in pain before using it's uninjured arm to swipe at Ichigo who, unfortunately, didn't quite dodge it and was sent flying.

"Ichigo!" Akira and Rukia called. Akira couldn't go to him, he was helping Rukia. Thankfully Ichigo didn't need it though as he quickly charged the hollow again, raising his sword and stabbing the hollow in the leg.

"_You little bastard!" _The hollow shrieked.

"Look who's talking!" Ichigo retorted before jumping and swimging his sword so that it aimed for the hollow's neck. The creature knocked him aside though and Ichigo landed heavily. He struggled to his feet and growled at the hollow.

"I've had enough of this," Ichigo muttered as he stared at the hollow. "Time to end this."

Ichigo charged the hollow, ducking and dodging the swipes the creature sent his way. He wasn't going to back down this time. This bastard was not going to escape, not after what he put that kid through. The thought of the creature's lies gave Ichigo an extra boost of strength. He thought of his own mother and that was enough to push him over the edge. Raising his sword high he lept and broght it down hard on the hollow mask.

"Go to hell!" Ichigo yelled as he cleaved through the creature's skull before quickly jumping back to stand just in front of Akira and Rukia.

What happened next shocked Akira and Ichigo to their cores. Instead of just dissappearing like an ordinary hollow would the creature in front of them continued to writhe in pain. The ground began to shake and it seemed to get darker all of a sudden.

"What the hell's going on?" Ichigo demanded.

"Hell's gate," Rukia muttered.

"What?" Akira asked.

"When we purify a hollow," she explained. "We can only absolve the deeds done while that person was a hollow. Any evil comitted by a soul when it was still human we cannot effect. The evil ones, the truly twisted and demented beings who becoem hollows, we cannot save them. They are bound by their choices to face hell's gate."

As she had been speaking a huge gateway had appeared behind the hollow. It gave off a menacing prescense and Akira felt a shiver go through him as he stared at it. The gate slowly began to open, showing a red mass of swirling energy. The hollow howled as the energy began to suck him in, drawing him into it's torrential vortex.

"What's happening to him?" Akira asked.

"He's being taken by the gate," Rukia answered, still leaning heavily on him. "He won't be able to harm anyone anymore, ever."

"You sure?" Ichigo asked.

"Positive," Rukia answered resolutely. "Now, we need to proform a konso."

"Not quite yet," Ichigo replied. "Chad and the kid need to say goodbye."

-o0o-

"Alright," Rukia said as she stared at Akira and Ichigo. "Start explaining please."

The three of them were in Ichigo's room. Rukia was on Akira's bed, stretched out so that her broken leg was resting comfortably. When they'd gotten back to the house they'd managed to sneak past Isshin and the twins to get upstairs. Akira had then proceeded to quickly proform a bone mending charm before wrapping Rukia's leg in thick bandage to make sure that it was undesturbed until it healed. She'd need to keep it still for the next few hours, possibly the next day or so, before it was back to normal. A trained medic-wizard would be able to heal it completely but Akira had only taken the beginner healing course so it was the best he could do. Akira and Ichigo were sitting on Ichigo's bed facing her. Akira sighed as he stared at the black haired Shinigami. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought.

"I'm a wizard," he said bluntly. "After regular school I get tutored to use magic."

"Magic?" Rukia asked, frowning. There wasn't any record of this in the Seireitei was there? She didn't think so. Wouldn't there be a mention of this somewhere? She put her thoughts aside for a moment and continued to listen to Akira as he began to explain. She found out about how he was adopted by the Kurosakis and that his birth name was Harry Potter. She heard stories of the magical communities in Japan and the UK. He'd glossed over the events taht had happened at the Dursleys but Rukia could tell there was more, especially since Ichigo had growned at the mention of the name of Akira's biological aunt, uncle and cousin. Finally Akira explained about the lessons he was taking, about the differnet courses and showed her one of his transfiguration books. She's skimmed through a couple of the pages as he talked but she barely understood a word of it, perhaps because it was an advanced book. Finally he'd finished.

"Could you show me something?" Rukia asked him. "Appart from medical magic I mean. I've seen you do that enough thank you." She gestured at her leg with her newly healed wrist. Akira nodded before a mischevious grin spread accross his face. Ichigo saw the look and backed up slightly. He knew that grin _way_ too well. Akira usually got that look on his face when he was planning something.

"No problem Rukia," Akira said brightly. He raised his right hand and, without his wand, cast one of the first charms he'd learned. "_Kuchu Fuyu Suru!"_

Immediately Rukia was lifted into the air. She yelped as she felt herself floating in mid air. She glared at Akira who was grinning. Ichigo by now was laughing, seeing it as payback for when she'd bound him with her kido. Akira waved his hand about, directing Rukia in the air so that she floated in a figure of eight.

"Alright!" she shouted at him. "Now, put me down!"

"Alright," Akira said, still grinning. He carefully lowered his hand and set her gently on the bed, careful not to go to fast in case he accidentally jarred her still healing leg. "Good enough for you Rukia?" She nodded. She'd need to talk to Uarahara about this. Come to think of it she needed to see him anyway. She needed some fixers for her Gigai, perhaps that would increase her reflexes a bit. She hated being in a Gigai, most Shinigami did. It felt restricting and uncomfortable, like you were in a really small room with no doors or windows.

"Can your magic be used on Hollows?" she asked Akira curiously. If so then it could be potentially useful. Akira shook his head though.

"I don't think so," he replied. "I tried to use a stunner when we saw the first hollow at the house. It didn't work, it just passed right through it."

"Any idea why that is?" Ichigo asied.

"Not a clue so far," Akira replied dismally. He was annoyed that he couldn't be more help. What use was his magic if he couldn't use it to help his big brother out of trouble when he was fighting Hollows? Rukia had a lot to consider. Her head was spinning slightly and she decided that it'd all make more sense after a good night's sleep.

"Can one of you help me into the wardrobe?" Rukia asked. "It's getting late adn I'm tired."

"Sure," Ichigo replied, getting up and carefully lifting Rukia up. Akira opened the wardrobe door and Ichigo set Rukia down on the makeshift bed she'd created for herself. "See you tomorrow Rukia."

"Night," Akira told her as the door was closed.

"Goodnight Ichigo, Akira," Rukia replied as she lay back, pulled a blanket over herself and went to sleep, her dreams full of wand waving people wearing pointy hats."

-o0o-

**AN:** Well? Wha'cha think? Good? Bad? Pathetic? Any comment'll be welcome! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Things'll start heating up in the next chapter -grins evily- I've got a plan and it'll be good! The plot'll really start to pick up next chapter so be patient while I write it okay! Review please and tell me what ya thought of this chapter!

Just so you guys know I got the spells from Google Translator so please don't kill me if they're way off! I don't speak Japanese very well, I'm just a beginner and I can't say much, so if anyone spots a mistake I've made then feel free to point it out to me in a review or pm.

Sorry if this chap seemed a bit lame but at least Rukia finally found out about Akira's secret. It'll make things a lot easier for me now I think. Any questions ya have then feel free to ask! I don't bite (That's Kuromaru's job) and I'd be happy to answer them!

Anyways, catch ya'll next time!

MG Mirani =D


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Hiya folks! First off thanks to everyone who's been voting for the pairing for Ichigo! I'll keep it open a bit longer. So far the score is like this

Ichi/Ruki (2)

Hichi/Ichi (13)

I'll keep this open for a while longer so that everyone has a chance to tell me what they want. I'll repeat what I said last chatper. This won't matter for a long time but I'd like to get this straight so that I know what I'm doing.

I think you guys'll like this chapter! -grins evily- It's the moment we've all been waiting for! I'm finally gunna deviate from cannon! -does happy dance- There will be NO KON in this fic AT ALL!!!!!!!! Sorry for you Kon fans but every time I see the little Bugger I wanna strangle him so I'm not gunna include him. There's also the other surprise in this chapter but I'm not saying! -sticks tongue out- you'll have to read it to find out! Have fun and review if ya feel like it!

Just a heads up, don't expect all the updates to come this fast. This chapter practically wrote itself! It was almost completely outta my control! Updates might slow after this, I don't know. The next two months are gunna be hell for me cuz I've got a whole lot of studying to do if I wanna pass my exams and I REALLY don't wanna repeat Math again next year -shudders in disgust-. Sorry if updates take a while after this. I hope you enjoy it though!

Now, without further ramblings, ENJOY!!!!!

-o0o-

**Chapter 6 -shrugs- Can't think of a title. Gomen nasai!**

-o0o-

Akira was dreaming. Normally this would worry him, usually his dreams didn't turn out so well but this felt somehow......different.

He found himself standing under a canopy of tall trees with leaves of emreald green and bark as black as shadow. He looked at the leaves moe closely and felt his eyes go wide. Each leaf was a small, individual flame. The flames gave off no smoke, no sound as the flickered. Why weren't they burning the trees? The leaves gave little, if any at all, light. They certainly weren't a normal fire of any discription. Even Floo powder used by the European wizards gave off light and it was green. What kind of fire was it?

Deciding that he'd figure it out later he faced forwards. Before him was a rocky ledge. He carefully stepped forward and looked over the edge. He caught his breath at the sight. Stretched out before him was a forest. The many trees seemed to blend together as their branches stretched towards the sky. It was made up entirely of those strange fiery trees. The light was neither day or night, it was in between. The whole forest was caught in twilight. Long shadows spread accross the ground and branches swayed in an almost unfelt breeze. It was then that Akira noticed the tree.

Now, you're probably wondering what I'm referring to right? Well, there were many trees that Akira could see but this one was different. For one thing it was _much_ larger than the rest of the forest. If he had to guess he'd say that it was aproximately three or four times bigger than the other trees. The branches spread out from the trunk and the fiery leaves glistened in the half light.

Akira closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air was fresh and clear. The rock under his feet was hard and unforgiving but he paid that no heed, for now just enthralled by the sight before him.

A sudden flapping sound caught his attention. He opened his eyes and noticed something, a shadow. It had appeared from between two branches of the large tree and was headed towards him. Quickly he retreated from the outcrop and took shelter under the canopy of trees he'd hidden under earlier. What was it? Whatever it was it had looked big. Could it be a bird? But what bird would want to nest in trees who's leaves were made of fire?

The flapping was getting louder, whatever it was it was coming closer. Akira shut his eyes. Why did he never have his wand when he dreamed? Just once he'd like to have that luxury in a dream but no, fate hated him so he'd have to do without it.

Akira darted behind one of the larger trees, hoping that whatever it was wouldn't see him in the shadows. As it drew closer Akira could disern a few features, not many but a few. The creature, whatever it was, had four legs, two wings, a long tail and neck. The legs looked muscular but not overly so. They looked sleek and powerful. The wings were large and because of the poor light he couldn't see any detail, only the fact that the wings caught the little light there was and absorbed it. The tail was long and seemed to sway behind the creature as it flew, ending in a teardrop or flame shape. That was waht it looked like anyway, it was quite hard to tell. The neck was long, stretched out towards him. What really caught his attention were the eyes.

They were a deep, mesmerising emerald green. The pupils were slitted and a bright silver. The eyes stared out of the black mass that was the creature's face, steady, unblinking, unimaginably deep and ancient. It reared in mid air, flapping it's wings and let lose an earth shaking roar. Akira clutched at his ears. The sound had caught him off guard. He shut his eyes, breathing deeply. Whatever it was it almost looked like a-

-o0o-

Akira sat bolt upright in bed, breathing heavily and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

"Okay," he muttered as he got his breathing under control. "What the hell was that?"

He didn't get an answer, he didn't expect one. He looked around the room. It was early morning, the sun not too high in the sky. He looked at his clock, 7:48. Good thing today was a weekend.

It had been a few days since the incident with the parakeet. Rukia's injuries had healed up nicely and she was back to normal. Akira had also been able to study his books in the open again, something he was grateful for. It was quite hard to hide something from someone who was living in your wardrobe after all. He'd given her a copy of one of the basic herbology books, figuring that that would be a book that she could actually understand. Herbology wasn't taht different from normal Biology, just with normal plants. Rukia had found the book quite interesting, reading through it and learning about the various types of magical plants. She'd especially taken interest in the 'healing and helping' area of teh book. That detailed plants taht could be used to relieve pain, act as laxitives or just generally improve health. Once or twice she'd muttered someting about 'Unohana-taicho finding this useful' or something like that.

Speaking of Rukia where was she? The wardrobe door was open so she wasn't in there. He looked around the room and noticed that there was a note left on the desk. He carefully got up and padded over to read the note.

_Be back in a while, needed to collect some suplies. Don't worry. -_Rukia

Where exactly did a Shinigami get suplies and what were they? He'd need to ask her when she got back. He'd worry about that later though. Since today there was no regular school he'd need to catch up on his homework. He'd managed to fall behind slightly because of all the fuss over the last few days and he needed to set that straight. Sighing to himself he pulled his transfiguration book towards him and started work.

-o0o- Urahara's Shop -o0o-

Rukia approached the building slightly cautiously. Urahara may have helped her but that didn't mean that she trusted the guy, not for one moment. He was a weird one, there was no doubt about that. He was useful though. She needed some fixers and, maybe more importantly, she needed information.

As she appraoched she noticed two children outside sweeping. One was a boy, a red head who was glaring at the other kid, a girl with black hair and a sad expression on her face. The girl said something and the boy started to yell at her and raised his fist to hit her.

"Hey!" Rukia yelled at him. "Leave her alone!"

The red headed kid turned to glare at her fiercly. "What're you gunna do about it?" he challenged her. Rukia smirked as the door behind the kid opened.

"I won't do anything," She replied, too sweetly. "But I think he will."

The kid turned around and was lifted by the back of his shrit by a large man wearing an apron and a sour look on his face.

"Jinta," the giant boomed. "What have I told you about disturbing the customers and hurting Ururu?"

"N-not to do it," Jinta stuttered.

"Good." With that the giant dropped Jinta back to the ground. Ururu reached out a hand to help him but he batted it away and stood up.

"Hello Kuchiki-san," the giant addressed Rukia, bowing slightly.

"Tessai-san," she answered back.

"Please come in," Tessai told her, gesturing to the still open door of the store. Rukia smiled gratefully at him, sent a smug look at the still glaring Jinta and entered the shop.

"Why, Kuchiki-san!" Urahara exclaimed as he caught sight of her. He was a strange one no mistake, with his green striped hat and that fan he constantly waved in front of his face. "What a surprise! What are you here for?"

"A few things actually," she replied. "Firstly, I need more fixers for this gigai."

"You sure about that?" Urahara asked her, reaching up to collect a small box from a shelf above his head. "You do realise that if you use too much of these it'll be painful when you have to leave that Gigai."

"I know," she answered. "But I need them. Did you get my order in?"

"Sorry Kuchiki-san," Urahara replied. "They haven't come in yet. There was the other version....."

"No," Rukia said firmly. "Sorry Urahara-san but I won't take the second best."

"Any particular reason you don't like ducks?" he asked curiously.

"Never mind that now," Rukia told him. "Tell me, have you heard of wizards?"

Urahara froze for a moment, staring at her. His eyes, covered by the brim of his striped hat, had widened at her question although thanks to the shadow cast Rukia couldn't see it. This could get troublesome. How did she know about them? 'Better ask her,' he thought.

"Where'd you hear about wizards?" he asked, managing to pull off a very convincing, if he did say so himself, innocent act.

"Ichigo's brother, Akira, claims to be a wizard. I was curious if you had information about them. I've seen his abilities and I believe him. Now, the question is if I should involve the soul society in this."

Urahara internally winced, that was the last thing that should be done. True some were aware of the wizards but they were few and far between, mostly people who had once been wizards and not many of those actually became Shingami. 'Better play it safe,' he thought as he stared at the petite shinigami in front of him.

"I've heard of them," he said vaguely. "They aren't aware of the Shinigami though. Their magic is similar, if a bit different, to Kido. It's a bit more versitile though."

"I've noticed," Rukia answered. "He let me look through a few of his books."

"Really?" Urahara asked interestedly. That didn't happen often. Usually wizards were more guarded with their methods and secrets.

"Yes," Rukia answered. "He said something about being honest since I have been open with them." She felt slightly guilty that she hadn't told them about shikai but there wasn't a reason to. She'd have her powers back soon, hopefully, so there really wasn't a reason to teach Ichigo about Shikai. It was doubtful that he'd actually be able to atain it anyway and it was unlikely that they'd face any hollows that required it. Urahara was having the same thought process. Well, it was similar at least. Who knows what really goes on in Urahara's mind after all? I don't and I don't think that anyone else has any idea so we'll just leave it at that.

"You've got a good friend there Kuchiki-san," Urahara said seriously, traces of humor and playfullness gone for a moment. "I'd be careful what you do with that."

Rukia nodded. She wouldn't inform the Seireitei, at least not yet. Urahara was right, this was important. Besides, the last thing she wanted was for Kurotsuchi-taicho to get his hands, or whatever he had, into Akira. She wouldn't wish that on anyone, not even a hollow! The man, if he could be called that, was just too twisted for everyone's good. She felt pity for his Lutenant, she really did.

"Thank you anyway Urahara-san," she told him.

"Not a problem Kuchiki-san!" he replied brightly, his normal atitude back in it's rightful place. She paid for her fixers and quickly headed out of the store. Jinta and Ururu were still there and the kid cast her a hateful glare while Ururu waved at her. Rukia tossed a smirk over her shoulder at the red head before waving back at Ururu and making her way back to the Kurosaki Clinic. She'd just go in through the front door, make like she was just visiting her friends. That should be believable enough. Then again their dad was.......how did you describe the man? Rukia wasn't sure and she doubted that she ever would. There was just something about the guy, she didn't know what but it was definitely nagging at her. Well, that and his atitude. That man was definitely the strangest person she'd ever met, minus Urahara of course although he did come a close second. She shuddered, how were his children still sane after living with him for so long? She really wasn't sure she wanted to answer to that, she really, really wasn't.

-o0o-

Days went by and they managed to get into a rutine of sorts. When Rukia's pager allerted them to a hollow Ichigo would either excuse himself to go to the bathroom or Akira would use his magic to cause a slight _distraction_ shall we say that either caused the class to be excused or created an excuse for Ichigo and Rukia to have to go. It wasn't likely that the teachers would buy the excuse of 'bathroom' after only a ten minute difference in time.

Ichigo's skills as a Shinigami were improving gradually. He no longer flinched quite so much when he brought his massive sword down on a hollow's head and he was getting faster, stronger somehow. Rukia had to admit that she was impressed at the speed his skills were improving. If he'd been learning Kido at the same rate he'd be among the top rookies at the academy, she was pretty sure of it. He didn't have the control for that though. That was partly a blessing and a curse. Because of his immense spiritual pressure and subsiquent lack of control it would be practically impossible to teach him Kido, he'd proabably end up either blowing himself or his surroundings up. At least it was an excuse not to teach it to him. On the downside it made it almost impossible for Ichigo to sense hollows sometimes as they were so weak that they didn't actually register on his 'Spirit Sense' as Akira had dubbed it. This made tracking the buggers by himself a lot harder. It was a good thing that her soul pager still worked, that and the fact that Akira had gotten pretty good and sensing hollows. Rukia wondered how skilled Akira would be if he became a Shinigami. It was an interesting question, one she was going to get the answer to a lot sooner than either her, Ichigo and Akira were comfortable with.

-o0o-

'It's tomorrow,' Ichigo thought dismally as he stared out the window of his and Akira's bedroom. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and everyone else seemed to be in better moods than normal. That was definitely _not_ how Ichigo felt.

His stomach was churning and his chest felt tight as he stared outside, not really seeing it. His thoughts were focused souly on that day, the day all those years ago.

"Ichigo," Akira said softly from behind him. Ichigo turned to look at his brother. Akira's emerald eyes were shining with worry as he stared at Ichigo. "You know you can't keep doing this to yourself right?"

"I know," Ichigo muttered. "Doesn't mean that it's easy."

"I didn't say it was," Akira replied. "If I'd been there then I would feel the same but I wasn't. If only I'd come with you that day, maybe I could have done, I don't know, _something_!"

"What could you have done?" Ichigo asked. "You weren't trained at the time."

"I know," Akira muttered. "That doesn't mean I still don't think it."

Rukia was watching them worriedly. She'd never seen Ichigo like this before. This morning when he'd gotten up he'd actually smiled. This in itself set alarm bells going in her mind. Ichigo didn't smile, that was one thing she'd learned during her time here. He never smiled unless it was at Yuzu, Karin or Akira. His seemingly cheerful atitude had persisted throughout the school day and that had simply hightened her sense of unease. Something was most definitely _wrong_ here. She didn't know what though. She'd need to ask Akira later, maybe he'd be able to shed some light on what was going on. She wouldn't interupt though. This was clearly something personal, private, to them and she didn't want to get involved.

"Hey Rukia," Ichigo said abruptly. Rukia jolted, not expecting Ichigo to turn to her quite so suddenly. "I'm gunna need tomorrow off."

She stared at him uncomprehendingly. He wanted tomorrow off? Why? What was so important that he couldn't take the time to fight hollows? She was just about to ask him, quite rudely if she was honest with herself, what he was thinking but then she caught sight of Akira behind Ichigo. Her blue-violet eyes met his emerald green orbs and something passed between them. She closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Ichigo again, his brown eyes focussed on her completely.

"Is it alright if I think about it for a bit Ichigo?" she asked him. She noticed his lips tightening slightly but she didn't comment. Whatever this was that was messing with Ichigo it was big, she was sure of it.

"Whatever," he said, seemingly uncaring before he walked out of the room, almost but not quite slamming the door behind him. Akira sighed as he stared after Ichigo before he looked at Rukia. She asked one question.

"Why?"

"Tomorrow," Akira said slowly, seeming to choose his words with care. "Tomorrow's the aniversery of the day that our mom was killed."

Rukia's eyes widened at that. Out of everything that Akira could have said that was the last thing she'd expected. It made a bit of sense now, Ichigo's sudden atitude change, the fake smile, the apparently friendliness, it all became clear. A sudden wash of sympathy passed through her. She knew what it felt like to lose a family member. She knew that she wasn't as close to her older sister, Hisana, as Akira and Ichigo were to their mother but she could understand it. An old wound ached as she thought about Hisana. She'd been so small when her sister had left her alone, saying that she couldn't look after Rukia anymore. What they were going through, the hurt, it had to be worse than that.

"How did it happen?" Rukia asked quietly.

"I'm not completely sure," Akira admitted. "Mom and Ichigo were on their way back from the dojo where we trained. I'd been sick that day so I wasn't there. It was raining, I remember that much. I won't say more though, if Ichigo wants to tell you then he will. He blames himself though."

Rukia nodded at that. It was clear in the orangette's eyes, the guilt, the pain. That kind of ache never went away, she should know, she experienced the same feeling about Kaien-dono. It was different though. Ichigo didn't kill his mother. She was the one that stabbed Kaien-dono through the chest. She pushed that memory away, now wasn't the time to think about it.

"What will you do tomorrow?" she asked.

"We'll go to mom's grave site," Akira answered. "We do it every year, pay our respects. I think it eases the pain a little, for all of us."

-o0o-

The sun was high in the sky by the time they'd made it to the base of the hill. The graveyard was situated at the very top.

"Alright!" Isshin exclaimed as he stared at his children. "Lets get going!"

With that Isshin quickly set off at a fast pace. Akira shrugged at Ichigo and his sisters before following. Pretty soon they passed Isshin who was panting.

"Stupid old goat," Karin commented.

"Now now Karin," Yuzu chided "Don't be so mean."

"To goats," Akira commented off handedly. Karin and Ichigo snorted in laughter at that. Or, Karin did, Ichigo gave a sort of non comital noise in response to his brother's atempt at humor. Akira sighed.

"Come on Ichigo," Akira said, gripping his arm. "Lets walk ahead for a bit."

Ichigo nodded before to pair sped up slightly, Akira having to go a bit faster than Ichigo to keep up. Damn his shortness!

"Hey Ichigo!" Karin called from behind them. "Isn't that that new kid from your class ahead of us?"

Ichigo looked up sharply and a dark scowl passed accross his face. A bit ahead of them stood Rukia. She smiled at them slightly and leaned against a nearby tree. She was wearing a white dress with some blue trim around the neck, the bottom and short sleeves. It looked a bit like one of Yuzus. It probably was now that Akira thought about it.

"A friend?" Isshin asked from behind. Suddenly it was like he'd gotten all his energy back and he began to charge up the hill in an atempt to reach Rukia. "Oh Rukia-ch-"

He was cut off abruptly as Karin turned around and gave him a vicious kick. He spluttered for a moment before falling backwards and tumbling back down the hill.

"Take that you crazy old fart," Karin muttered before continuing up the hill as if she hadn't just kickeded her father in the gut.

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo demanded harshly as he and Akira reached Rukia.

"Well," Rukia looked around. They were in a deserted area, not many people came to the graveyard. Today was a nice enough day. The sun was shining and the sky was a deep blue. Trees rustled in a slight breeze and their shadows moved on the ground as the leaves waved through the air. An occasional bird song split the quiet, ti was a nice feeling. "Can I talk to you a moment Ichigo?"

"Go," Akira suggested. "We won't start until you get there."

Ichigo scowled but followed Rukia into the trees. Isshin had recovered, somehow, and had raced up the hill, going past Karin too fast for her to boot him back down the hill again. He stopped by Akira and looked left and right for any sign of his oldest son.

"Where did Ichigo go?" he asked.

"To talk with Rukia," Akira answered. "He shouldn't be too long."

"To talk......with a girl?" Isshin asked, a grin spreading accross his face. "Ah! My son! All grown up!"

"Shut up!" Akira told him bluntly. Isshin didn't listen though, going on about how 'grown up' his boy was becoming. Akira sweatdropped before deciding enough was enough. Taking a page out of Karin's book he kicked the old goat from behind causing him to fall face first into the dirt. Casting an annoyed glance at his father Akira continued up the hill to the graveyard. Could his father _be_ any more annoying? Somehow Akira was sure of it.

-o0o-

When they finally reached it the graveyard it was completely still. There was no one else around and the sun cast shadows, covering some of the graves in a thin layer of shade. Akira breathed in deeply, enjoying the freshness of the air. There weren't many places where the air was so fresh and that was one of the things he liked about this place. 'Mom would have loved it too,' he thought. It was true, Masaki Kurosaki loved the fresh ahr. Sometimes she'd complain about the air, claiming that it was too heavy and poluted. He knew that she would have never left Karakura though. It was her home and besides, if she moved then she couldn't help so many people and that was the one thing she loved most, helping people. Akira smiled, he was sure Ichigo got that from her.

The four of them made their way towards Masaki's grave. Akira smiled gently as he looked at the white stone. It was slightly beaten and weather worn but you could still see the writing engraved into it.

"I'll be back in a bit kids," Isshin said. "I just need to take care of something." He left without another word. The three Kurosaki children stared after him. What was that about? Akria shrugged it off for now, just figuring it was another of his father's weird habbits. He hadn't done this before though, not on this day anyway. Yuzu stepped closer to the grave. There were tears in her eyes as she stared at the stone. Karin stepped forward beside her twin, holding back tears. She wouldn't cry. She'd done enough of that when she was younger, she had to be strong, for Yuzu. If she wasn't strong for Yuzu then who would be? There was Akira and Ichigo of course but Karin was closer to Yuzu, they were twins after all. They might seem worlds appart but they were close, just as close as Akira and Ichigo. Speaking of Ichigo, where was he?

Karin looked around the graveyard and there was still no sign of his distinctive orange hair. Where the hell was he?

"Chill Karin," Akira told her, seemingly to read her thoughts as he looked at her. "Ichigo won't be too much longer."

Yuzu was ignoring them for now, concentrating on the grave marker.

"I'll leave you two for a minute," Akira told them. "I won't be far and it'll give you some time alone with mom, you okay with that?"

"Sure," Karin replied absently. "Go ahead."

Akira nodded before walking down the path of the graveyard, the oposite direction that his father had gone in. He wouldn't go far though. He wouldn't leave his sisters unprotected. He wouldn't baby them though, that was the last thing they needed.

He was deep in thought when he noticed something, something wrong. It was on the edge of his senses, there but yet, not. It was very strange. Then he realised what it was. How the hell could he have been so stupid? He should have recognised it for what it was immediately, a hollow. Cursing he quickly spun around and made his way back to Yuzu and Karin. He had to hurry. As he rounded a corner he froze, his eyes going impossibly wide as he stared at the scene before him.

Yuzu had been flung against a headstone and was slumpt forward, her head against her chest. Her eyes were closed. That worried Akira but taht wasn't what he was focusing on though. One of the largest hollows he'd ever seen held Karin in an iron grip. It's face was stretched into a twisted leer as it stared at Karin hungrilly. It's tale whipped back and forth behind it as it gazed at Karin hugrilly. Karin coughed harshly as it let out a ransid breath straight in her face. How disgusting. Hollow breath was not one of the most pleasant odours she'd ever had the pleasure of smelling.

_"You'll make a fine snack," _The hollow told her, opening it's disgusting maw to try and swollow her. That broke Akira out of his daze and he rushed forward, drawing his wand. He knew that it probably wouldn't be much use but he had to do _something!_ Even if it just distracted the hollow for a bit. Ichigo and Rukia were near, they should be here soon right? Rukia's pager should pick up this thing right?

"Oi! Put her down!" He yelled as he got closer. The hollow looked at him and laughed.

"_What can you do against me?" _It taunted as it stared at Akira. "_You can't hurt me, not with a stick." _

_"Shimo hi_!"(Frost Fire) The spell shot out of Akira's wand like a flash and headed straight for the hollow. The hollow was surprised so involinterilly let go of Karin who plumited to the ground. Akira cast a quick cushioning charm on the ground to prevent her from hurting herself. He turned back to the hollow just as the spell hit. Just as he'd thought, it did nothing. The hollow looked down at it's leg and began to laugh.

"_You think that will stop me?_" it taunted. "_How pathetic. If you're so keen to be eaten though, I think I'll indulge you."_ With that the hollow quickly bipassed Karin and Yuzu and straight for Akira. Akira, quickly assesing the situation, turned and began running down the stone path. 'Good,' he thought as the chanced a look back. The hollow was still after him and closing in. 'If he's chasing me then he's not going after them. I just need to keep this up until Ichigo and Rukia get here. Please hurry.' The past part was a silent prayer to Ichigo. He could only outrun a hollow that size for so long after all.

Akira quickly rounded a corner and ducked behind a nearby headstone. The hollow rounded the corner but didn't notice him and kept running. Akira breathed a sigh of relief but it was short lived.

"_Got you!" _Akira quickly dodged to the right as the hollow's clawed arm swiped at him. It missed and tore through the headstone. Akira sent a silent opology to whoever was burried under there before quickly running again, making sure to lead the hollow away from Karin and Yuzu.

"_You can't keep this up much longer boy," _The hollow taunted. _"You're tiring, I can feel it!"_

The hollow was right, he was getting tired. Running for your life will do that to a person. Damn it! The hollow was clising in!

'Come on Ichigo,' Akira thought. 'Where's a Shinigami when you need one?'

The hollow suddenly lunged at him. Akira, caught off guard slightly, couldn't dodge the hollow entirely and as he tried to move out of the way got a claw in his back. Akira hissed as the razor like blade of the hollow's claw tore a line down his back from the top of his right shoulder all the way down to his left hip. He could feel the warm blood gushing from the wound. He staggered, his eyes screwed shut in an effort not to scream. It felt like liquid fire was searing along the wound, burning him from the inside out. The hollow laughed as he looked at it's handywork. The human was as good as his. Akira stumbled to s headstone adn used it to lean on but he slumped to the ground. Great, he was helpless. He'd accidentally dropped his wand and it lay about eight feet from him. He tried to summon it but as he raised his hand to try pain shot through his back and he hissed. Okay, that wasn't going to work. Damn it! The hollow was closing in, a sick grin twisting it's already grotesque features.

Just then Akira noticed a shadow passing overhead, going straight towards the hollow. He looked up and felt his body flood with relief. It was Ichigo.

"Get away from my brother you bastard!"

Yes, that was most definitely Ichigo. Akira smiled weakly as Ichigo battled the hollow. His skills had clearly improved over the last few weeks.

"Akira!" came a voice behind him. Akira turned to see Rukia running towards him, a worried look on her face. This morphed into one of extreme concern as she took in the wound the hollow had inflicted.

"Can you heal yourself?" she asked worriedly, handing him his wand. She'd picked it up immediately after spotting it lying on the ground.

"I don't think so," Akira gritted out. "I can mend bones and heal scratches but this, I can feel it. It's cut through more than just skin. I'm lucky it didn't cut my rib cage in half."

"Can you at least stop yourself from bleeding out?" Rukia asked, her eyes shining with concern. If only she had more reiatsu, then she might be able to use a healing kido. Damn this Gigai!

"I'll try, help me ain."

Rukia helped Akira manouver his left arm into a position so that it was pointing at his back. The gash prevented him from moving his right arm so his left would have to do.

'Here goes nothing,' he thought. "chi ryū wo tomeru!_" _(Stop blood flow)

Immediately the volume of blood spilling from his back lessened to a trickle. It didn't relieve the pain though and Akira hissed as Rukia moved him to a better position. He turned his head towards where Ichigo and the Hollow were still going at it. It seemed like there was a pause. What had he missed?

"You bastard," Ichigo hissed at the hollow.

"_You think so do you boy?"_ the hollow taunted. Akira then noticed something that he hadn't seen before. The hollow had something standing in front of him, it was connected to the hollow by a thin strand or chain. It was a girl.

"What the hell," he muttered as he stared at the girl. The hollow laughed.

_"You recognise it, don't you Shinigami,"_ The hollow spat the word 'Shinigami' as if it was the worse curse word he could think of. "_You remember it."_

"She was there," Ichigo whispered, barely loud enough for Akira and Rukia to hear. "She was the one I saw, that day."

Now Akira understood completely. It all seemed to click into place. His eyes widened and he tried to move forward but ended up hissing as the motion caused sharp needles of pain to dig into him from his back.

"_Recognise my lure do you?"_ The hollow taunted. "_You should. After all, if you hadn't seen it I never would have gotten my claws into that delicious morsel. It was your mother was it not Shingami? What a pity. You had the higher spiritual pressure but waht can I say? I've always had a certain_ weakness_ for women."_

"You _bastard!_" Without a second thought Ichigo charged the hollow, swinging his blade down with a cry. That thing had killed his mother. He would make it pay!

"This isn't good," Rukia muttered, staring at teh hollow.

"What is it Rukia?" Akira asked her quietly.

"Grand Fisher," she murmured. "We've been trying to kill him for the last fifty years. So far he's escaped our grasp. He's taken many Shinigami from us." Akira's eyes widened and he turned his head to look at her. Was she serious? This thing had managed to eat some of the Shinigami. This didn't bode well for Ichigo, not in the slightest.

Back in the battle Ichigo was swiping and dodging at the hollow. The hollow made a grab for him but Ichigo blocked it with his blade and swung the huge sword down to try and cleave off the thing's arm. The hollow jumped back to avoid him but it wasn't quite quick enough. Ichigo had managed to catch it in the chest. A deep wound cut through the hollow's chest, going from just above his hollow hole, passing through it and continuing down it's abdomen. Black hollow blood gushed from the wound. Ichigo carried on the attack, running forwards and jabbing at teh hollow. The hollow blocked most of the blows byt a few still managed to pierce it's hide. It hissed as and spat at Ichigo as he attacked Grand Fisher. Akira could feel Ichigo's spiritual pressure rising as he got more and more furious, his strikes becoming wilder and wilder as he forced the hollow backwards.

_"You little brat,"_ the hollow hissed at him. "_I will not forget this! One day soon, I will come for you and next time, next time you won't be so lucky Ichigo Kurosaki! I can promise you that!"_

Before anyone could say or do anything the hollow seemed to tear a whole in the air and jumped through it. Ichigo tried to follow but the hole closed before he had a chance to. Ichigo cursed before placing his sword back on his back. He turned to look at Akira and his eyes widened in horror.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed as he quickly ran over to Akira. "How bad is it?"

"Bad," came a voice from behind. Ichigo turned quickly to face the new comer. Akira looked up and his eyes widened. Another Shinigami. When had he gotten here? And why hadn't he been helping Ichigo? "The hollow cut deep into his back. There is no way to heal a wound such as that, at least none of us here are capable of such a feat. Only members of the Fourth Division have experience enough with healing Kido to do that."

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed, bending down and examining the wound. Some blood still flowed from it despite Akira's best efforts and he was looking pale. His green eyes seemed to stand out even more than usual against the sickly palar of his skin.

"There has to be something, _anything!"_ Ichigo snarled as he stared at Akira. He couldn't let this happen. He wouldn't let his brother die. Suddenly an idea hit. He turned to Rukia. "What happens to my body when I leave it?"

Rukia blinked at him, caught completely off guard by the question. "Your body goes into stasis when your soul is freed from it," she answers carefully. "It does not age and unless an outside force interferes it doesn't......." She trailed off, her eyes widening as she realised just what Ichigo was thinking. "Are you crazy!" she yelled at him, getting to her feet. "You don't even know if it will work!"

"I have to try!" Ichigo shot back. "If I don't then he'll die anyway!"

"What are you two talking about?" Akira mumbled. His mind was beginning to go fuzzy and he couldn't think straight. Everything was blurring at the edges, like it used to before he had his eyes corrected.

"I'm gunna stab you with my Zanpakto," Ichigo told him. "Are you okay with that?" Akira tried to pull his mind from the fog. He had to think rationally. If his soul was out of his body then it was in stasis, meaning he couldn't get any worse right? That would be something and if he was out of his body he might be able to patch it up right? He might not still have his magic but it was worth a shot. If he didn't then he'd find out what the soul society was like _way_ sooner then he'd be comfortable with.

"Do it," he muttered finally, closing his eyes. "Just do it and get it over with please." Ichigo nodded before drawing his blade again. He took a deep breath. 'Pleas let this work,' he silently said in his head as he held his blade over Akira's chest. 'Please, please, _please_ work!' Before he could hesitate Ichigo plunged the sword down and through Akira's chest.

Immediately a huge surge of reiatsu burst from Akira's body so that they were all thrown back. It was just like what happened when Ichigo's abilities were awakened. The headstone behind Akira had shattered under the pressure and dust covered the area where Akira's body lay. Ichigo coughed and squinted through the smoke. 'Please let this have worked,' he silently thought. It was then that he saw the figure in the smoke. As it dispersed he let out a sigh of relief. It was Akira.

He looked different. He was wearing the traditional Shinigami outfit but there were a few changes. For one thing instead of the sash being white it was a deep emerald green, as was the white lining the upper half of his outfit. Wverywhere there was suposed to be white there was green. It suited him. Ichigo also noticed that Akira wasn't wearing traditional zori sandals. Instead he was wearing a pair of boots that dissappeared under his hakama. They were emerald green also and highlighted in silver with strange fire designs. His sword was accross his back like Ichigo's and the sash that held it was silver and seemed to glitter slightly with emerald dust. He could just see the hild poking over Akira's shoulder. It was simple but it wasn't a Katana like a normal shinigami blade. Instead it was foreign, possibly European in origin with black cloth wrapped around the grip.

Ichigo felt a smirk pull at his lips as he stared at Akira. His brother definitely suited the Shinigami outfit. Akira reached around and felt along his back. There was no wound. The hollow had inflicted damage to the body and, thankfully, not the soul.

"We need to work quickly," Rukia said. Ichigo blinked and looked down at her. He'd forgotten about her.

"Allow me," said the Shinigami that Akira didn't know. "May I?" He asked, looking at the newly transformed Shinigami. Akira, cought off guard, nodded slightly. The Shinigami approached his fallen body and carefully manouvered it so that the wound was facing upwards. Akira winced, he really did look awful or, at least his body did. It felt strange. He looked down at himself and ran his hand over the hilt of the sword at his back.

"The body is in stasis," The stranger said, breaking Akira from his thoughts. "Because of this the bloodflow has stopped. This will give us more time to heal the wound. I am no master of Kido but I should be able to at least ensure that the body does not die of blood loss."

"Do it," Rukia said. The stranger just nodded and held his hands over the body. Immediately green energy sprang from his hands and enveloped the wound. Akira could see the strain on the stranger's face. Whatever he was doing it was obviously tiring. As Akira watched he saw some of the muscle begin to repair itself, the skin begin to knit together and the wound to look less inflamed. After a few minutes of watching the stranger gasped and dropped his hands, the green glow leaving them as he colapsed against a neibouring headstone.

"I can't do more than that," he admitted as he stared at his handywork. "The wound will not be life threatening any more, unless it is infected of course."

"Why are you helping us now?" Ichigo demanded. "A while ago you were set on killing me?"

"I caused this, in part," the stranger admitted. "If I had only sensed the hollow before it had gotten so close, this could have been prevented. I wished to help set right my mistake."

"So what now?" Akira asked, deciding that he'd get the full story from Ichigo later. He rubbed his head, he was getting a headache. Just fantastic.

"Now, I go back to the soul society," the stranger said, standing up. "Be careful Rukia. You can't keep this up forever."

With those parting words the Shinigami lept into the air and dissappeared into the many trees surrounding the graveyard. Akira looked around him, it all looked peaceful again. How could this place have been a battlefield not long ago? He looked at Ichigo who was still staring after the Shinigami.

"Akira?" Rukia asked him tentitively. He turned and looked at her questioningly. "Can you, can you still access your magic? When you're in spirit form I mean, perhaps you could heal your back some more before we move you."

"I don't know," he admitted. He could still _feel_ his magic, pulsing under his skin. But then again he could feel his reiatsu when he was in his body so that didn't mean much did it?

"There's only one way to find out though." Grasping his wand tightly he pointed it at his back and muttered a healing spell he'd learned. It wasn't designed for a wound this big but it would have to do. It was better than nothing and if it didn't work then at least they knew that that option was out. It was better to find out now rather than in a battle situation after all. "Can you two lift my body up a bit please?" Ichigo and Rukia did as instructed. Rukia too his legs gently and Ichigo too the shoulders and head, supporting them carefully. Together they hoisted Akira's body a few inches off the ground. "That's fine." Taking a deep breath Akira raised his wand and muttered the spell.

_"_hōtai de tsutsumu," (Wrap in Bandages)

Immediately a long white bandage issued from AKira's wand and began to wind itself around his body. Akira was so surprised that his magic actually still worked that he almost dropped his wand. In truth he hadn't been expecting much. He quickly got his mind back on track thourh and focussed completely on the task at hand. The cloth was thicker than the one he'd used to bind Rukia's wrist a while ago and it looked stronger. It kept winding around his body and Akira slowly moved his wand up his body's spinal collum, directing the bandages to wrap all the way around his body. He also directed them to go over one shoulder, the right one, and finished it off by tightening them up before releasing the spell so that the cloth stopped issuing from his wand.

"That should hold it," Akira said after a moment. "I'll need to change them later but for now they'll hold."

"That's good," Ichigo said, letting out a sigh of relief. Rukia was looking at Akira curiously. If he could still use his magic was it possible taht others could too? It was definitely something to think about. Suddenly Ichigo's eyes widened. "Shit!"

"What is it Ichigo?" Akira asked worriedly.

"What the hell are we gunna tell Goat face, Yuzu and Karin?"

-o0o-

**AN: **Well? What do you think? I bet no one guessed how I'd give Akira' his powers! I'm not one hundred percent happy with the ending but hopefully you guys'll like it!

Remember to tell me which pairing you want if you haven't already! I won't be closing that vote for a while to give everyone a chance to vote.

**PLEASE** if anyone has anything better than Google Translator then please feel free to tell me! Anything you could tell me would help.

Review if you have any questions or whatever and I promise to answer them!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed it and C'ya next time!

MG Mirani ^_^


	7. Chapter 7

Hiya guys! I can't believe how popular the last chapter was! Thank you guys SO much for all the reviews and support! I received an anonimus review and since I couldn't reply to them directly I'd do it here. I won't do this often but I answered everyone else so it was only fair.

**():** You asked a good question. Unfortunately I can't tell you without blowing a huge gaping hole in the story. What I can tell you though is that the answer to your question lies in Akira's magic. Think about what I've said so far about magic and reiatsu and you might understand where I'm coming from. Sorry I can't give you anything else to go on for now but I don't wanna spoil the story for you or everyone else by explaining it.

Okay, so far the poll stands at

Ichi/Hichi (19)

Ichi/Ruki (3)

Okay, some people were asking about the Shinigami in the last chapter. It happens during episodes nine and ten of the anime. I don't know if it's in the Manga but the seireitei sends someone in to investigate Rukia and when he finds her and Ichigo he attacks Ichigo and they figtht cuz he thinks that Ichigo stole Rukia's powers. When the Grand Fisher appears though Ichigo goes off and fights it. When the Shinigami (I can't actually remember his name or if it was mentioned) sees how strong Ichigo was he agreed to keep everything quiet but when he left he gave Rukia a warning. I hope that clears everything up for those of you who were confused and sorry for the confusion -grins sheepishly-

Anyways, now that that's all outta the way lets continue the fic!

-o0o-

**Chapter 7: Of quincies and Menos Grande**

-o0o-

For the next few days after the incident at the graveyard Akira was confined to bed rest by Isshin and Ichigo. Surprisingly father and son agreed on something for once, Akira was not to be allowed outside under any circumstances.

They'd had a hell of a time explaining Akira's injury to the rest of the family. They managed to explain it away by saying that Akira had almost been 'mugged' but before the guy could do any real (as in permenant) damage Ichigo had come and had managed to get the guy to leave. Karin had looked at the sceptically but said nothing. That was one occasion Akira was glad for the memory spell Rukia used. There was no way he wanted to explain this to his sisters, not a chance.

Akira had protested vehemently at being confined but there was nothing he could say or do that would change the minds of father and son. It was quite creepy for the three younger siblings really, seeing Ichigo and goat face agree on something. Karin privately thought that it was a sign of impending doom while Yuzu found it a blessing. Now if only they could stop arguing about everything else! Akira just found it annoying but he didn't say that. So for the next few days he was confined to his bed. He wasn't bored all the time though. He managed to do a lot of studying so he didn't fall behind in school or magic. After all, they hadn't forbidden him from practicing his magic and that, at least, was a blessing. At least he wouldn't die of complete and utter boredom.

His transfiguration practice was coming along. Now he could conjure simple things from mid air like a ball or a cane, simple things that were all made of the same substance. It was when things started getting more complicated taht it became tricky. For example he couldn't conjure plants. There were so many different parts to a plant, the roots, the phloem and xylem vessels in the stem, the leaves, the cambium layers, the flowers.....the list went on and on. If it was this hard to conjure plants then it was going to be even harder to conjure animals. Akira shuddered, he was not looking forward to seeing the results of his mess ups when he got onto that particular topic.

Finally, after almost a week of confinement Akira was allowed to leave his holding cell.....I mean bedroom, and return to school.

Predictably Akira was the centre of attention for a while, people clammering for his attention, asking questions and generally being annoying. Ichigo, Rukia and Tatsuki managed to protect him for the most part although Tatsuki _did_ ask some awkward questions that they couldn't answer. Rukia offered to change the memories of the students and teachers so that they thought that Akira had never been missing but Akira didn't want to do that. He didn't like wiping people's minds and he wouldnt' do it for personal gain.

They also had to deal with the fact that Akira was now a Shinigami. After another week Ichigo finally deemed Akira 'well' enough to be let out of his body. Akira had rolled his eyes at his brother's overprotectiveness but he couldn't really blame the orangette for it so just shrugged it off. Now, here's where it begins.

The three of them, Ichigo, Rukia and Akira were in the bedroom which had become their unofficial 'meeting place'. They all technically lived in it so that wasn't much of a surprise.

"We need to make it look like you two are asleep," Rukia said as she pulled on her strange glove thing. It was night so the sky outside was a dark blue-black colour with a few stars that were barely visible thanks to the lights of Karakura. There wasn't a moon tonight so it was quite dark outside, one of the best nights for hunting hollows. "Lie down on your bed and then I'll release your souls from you bodies."

They did as she instructed, lying down on their beds and pulling the covers over themselves to make it look like they were asleep. Akira pulled out a small recorder from somewhere and set it on the nightstand. When Rukia looked at him questioningly he just smirked.

"It won't really work if they don't hear us breathing," he said as if it was obvious. He turned on the recording and the sound of two sets of heavy breathing filled the room. Ichigo smirked, trust Akira to think of something like that. Rukia had to admit that it was a good idea. If one of the twins came in later then they'd think that Ichigo and Akira were merely asleep. Them just lying there without making a sound would probably freak the younger girls out, definitely not something that Rukia wanted to do.

"That should give us roughly two and a half hours," Akira said.

"That should be enough," Rukia replied. "Ready?" They nodded and Rukia quickly hit them over the heads. Immediately their spirit forms burst from their bodies and landed on the floor, Akira almost falling flat on his face if Ichigo hadn't caught him.

"Not funny," Akira muttered as he stood straight, brushing Ichigo's hand away. Ichigo only smirked and Rukia chuckled before taking a closer look at Akira's outfit. It was quite different from most of the uniforms. That wasn't to say that some didn't customise their uniform but it was still quite odd. The emerald green of the outfit matched Akira's eyes perfectly and the black of the shihakshou (death garment) seemed to be a shade or two lighter than Akira's midnight hair. She wasn't sure how that was possible but she pushed it aside for now.

"Hey Rukia," Ichigo said, breaking her out of her thoughts. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you."

"What is it Ichigo?" Rukia replied.

"Well," Ichigo paused, frowned, then continued. "When you gave me your powers you lost yours completely right?"

"That's right," Rukia nodded.

"So why do I still have them when they were given to Akira?"

Rukia paused and thought for a moment. In truth that hadn't really crossed her mind. She looked at the two brothers and frowned in concentration. How was it possible? She'd definitely need to talk to Urahara about this. If there was one thing that man was good for it was solving riddles and unfortunately this family was proving to be one huge riddle after another.

"I cannot say for sure," she finally answered Ichigo's question. "For now we should probably concentrate on the hollows." 'Please don't push,' she silently thought as they studied her. She didn't want to tell them about the penalty for giving her powers to another. The last thing she wanted to do was get them into even more shit then they already had to deal with. She was already feeling guilty and she didn't think she could stand it if they got killed because of her, because she was too stuborn to use her Shikai when it could have prevented all of this, just because of what happened last time.

Ichigo nodded, accepting her answer for now. Akira looked at Rukia and nodded his head. Somehow he was sure that there was more to it then that but didn't press her. She was clearly keeping something from them, he just wasn't sure what. Whatever it was he sensed that it was personal so didn't pry. He respected people's privacy so he wouldn't push, for now anyway.

"Alright!" she said, taking on the voice of a drill sargent. "Lets go. We'll go to the park. That should give us plenty of room to practice and we should be in a good position if any hollows show up since we'll be in the middle of town."

"Got'cha!" Akira replied. He was excited. He and Ichigo had agreed that the only way that either of them would improve was if they sparred while in Shinigami form. Rukia had been a little hesitent at the idea but had finally come around. What could it hurt? Besides, it could only help right?

"Alright," Rukia saidl, climbing onto Ichigo's back like she had that first time Ichigo had gone out to fight a hollow. "Just follow Ichigo's lead and try not to put too much reiatsu into your feet or you'll hurt yourself."

"Okay," Akira replied, watching Ichigo carefully. Ichigo tossed a smirk over his shoulder before leaping out the window. Akira followed quickly behind him and together the three of them made their way to the park.

-o0o-

The park was deserted when they arrived, not surprising considdering how late it was. The only creatures around were a few crickets and the odd cat prowling for food. An occasional creeking sound was heard as a light breeze blew and caused a swing to move.

"You ready?" Ichigo asked, allowing Rkia to climb off his back so he could grab his sword. Akira nodded, grasping the hilt of his own sword and easily sliding it out of the sheath at his back. The blade of the sword was a light silver, the same silvery colour as the sash that kept the sheath in place. It seemed fitting and it went perfectly with the hilt and grip of the sword. He swung the blade experementally, testing the weight and balance of it before nodding his head. It felt comfortable in his grasp and that was a good thing. The worst situation to be in was when you had a sword that didn't suit you, he'd learned that much through observation even if he hadn't trained with one himself.

Meanwhile Ichigo unsheathed his own sword and got into a, slightly sloppy according to Rukia, stance. Akira braced himself and tilted his body slightly extending the hand with his sword outwards in front of him. He wasn't sure what he was doing but he figured that he'd wing it for now.

"Begin!" Rukia called.

Immediately Ichigo leapt forward, his huge sword raised above his head as he charged Akira. Akira didn't have long to react and instinctually brought his blade up and blocked Ichigo's blade. A shock went through his arm and he almost colapsed from the force of the blow. Damn it but Ichigo was strong when he used that big ass sword! He knew he wasn't nearly as strong as Ichigo was, that was a given and he was smaller too. He needed to think logically. Ichigo smirked at him before attacking, this time going for a jab. Akira dodged out of the way and rolled to the side to avoid a follow up strike. Despite his poor form Ichigo was viceous with that blade of his. He was strong but his attacks were slightly slower than Akira's dodging.

'That's it!' the raven haired teen thought. 'If I can't overpower him then I'll catch him off guard.' Akira set his plan into motion immediately. He pretended to attack Ichigo, jabbing his sword at Ichigo's left side. Ichigo immediately brought up his blade to block it but at the last second Akira changed direction, aiming for the right side. If Ichigo's sword hadn't been so big then he wouldn't have been able to stop it.

"Good!" Rukia shouted from the side lines. "Don't hold back either of you! How will you improve if you hold back!"

"You heard her Ichigo," Akira said with a smirk. "Lets have some fun."

"You got it," Ichigo replied before charging again. Akira quickly moved out of the way, seemingly to flow almost as he moved. Rukia was impressed. Akira stabbed at Ichigo's right side before changing direction again and going for the left. Ichigo had anticipated it this time though and quickly blocked him almost effortlessly.

"Can't fool me twice," Ichigo smirked as he and Akira leapt appart, their blades raised in front of them. Ichigo was in an offensive stance and Akira had taken up a defensive position.

"We'll see about that," Akira replied before shifting his weight and leaping into the air, his sword raised as he aimed for Ichigo's head. Ichigo quickly brought his blade up and blocked it but he was pushed back with the force of the attack. He wasn't expecting Akira to try that strategy, so far he'd been defensive mostly. 'Good,' Akira thought as he leapt back again. 'If he doesn't know what I'll do then he can't block.' Akira didn't know however that Ichigo was thinking the same thing. He may not be as fast as his younger brother but he was a bit stronger and he'd try and use it to his advantage in this.

"Ready or not here I come!" Ichigo yelled as he charged forward, swinging his sword in what he personally thought was a very convincing beginner's error, he'd left himself wide open for Akira on purpose. Akira, seeing a chance, bounded forward and tried to go for Ichigo's exposed left side. Ichigo had planned it right though for as soon as Akira got within range he quickly raised his left leg and tried to kick Akira's legs out from under him. Akira's eyes widened as he realised what Ichigo meant to do and quickly jumped out of the way before retreating.

They were both panting heavily now, sweat coating their foreheads as they stared each other down accross the park. Rukia's eyes moved from Akira to Ichigo. She didn't think that they'd be this skilled. She had to admit that she was impressed. Akira had mentioned that they'd taken martial arts lessons when they were younger and continued it until they were about the age of twelve. She suposed that it'd paid off. They weren't used to fighting with swords but they were doing very well, adapting their fighting styles to suit their swords.

Akira panted as he stared at Ichigo. There had to be a way to get the upper hand. Then it came to him, it was so obvious that he nearly smacked himself on the forehead. How could he have forgotten about his magic? Taking a deep breath he rushed Ichigo, moving quickly and lightly over the ground as he sped towards the taller teen. He raised his sword as if to deliver a slice to Ichigo's right side. Ichigo, seeing what he thought Akira was trying to do, raised his sword and made to block the attack. Akira smirked and quickly shot his left hand forward and yelled a spell. "_Ketsugo Suru!" _(bind together). He aimed for Ichigo's legs and they snapped together immediately. Ichigo lost his balance and quickly plumeted face first into the dirt, his sword falling beside him as he let go of it from shock.

Rukia stifled her laughter at the sight of Ichigo's magnificent face plant. 'Well,' she thought with amusement. 'I _did_ tell them not to hold back.'

Akira released the spell and Ichigo quickly jumped to his feet, a scowl on his face.

"How the hell is that fair!" he demanded as he sheathed his sword, glaring at the still laughinr Rukia and grinning Akira.

"No fight's fair Ichigo," Akira said flipently as he too sheathed his blade. "You're the one that taught me that remember?" Rukia couldn't help chuckling as Ichigo and Akira bickered playfully for a while longer. It made hre with that her and Byakuya could be more like that, more like a real family. She shook this thought from her head though. That wasn't likely to happen. Byakuya wouldn't even look at her, never mind interact with her with such warmth and playfullness as Ichigo and Akira did. She closed her eyes, lost in thought.

She was quickly brought out if it however as her soul pager began to ring. She quickly took it out from her pocket and checked it.

"We've got a hollow!" she called over to them. They immediately came over to her and Akira peared at the screen.

"How far?" he asked.

"Not too far," Rukia replied. "It shouldn't take us too long, lets go!"

With that the three of them quickly headed in the direction the hollow signature had been detected. They didn't bother to jump from roof to roof, the hollow wasn't far away and it'd be just as quick running. It barely took them five minutes before they saw the hollow.

It was a dark mould green in colour and shaped like a disfigured insect. Akira made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat as he stared at it.

"Should I fight it or do you want a shot?" Ichigo asked.

"I'll have a go," Akira said, drawing his sword. "If it looks like I'm gunna get cut up again then feel free to step in okay?"

"Got it," Ichigo nodded before Akira rushed forward and quickly, before the hollow knew what happened, stabbed the thing in one of the hind legs. It howled in pain as black hollow blood gushed from the wound as Akira quickly drew his blade out again before jumping back. The thing turned and Akira got a good look at the face. The usual hollow mask covered the head although this one had two brown triangles on each cheek pointing inwards towards the nose. It was definitely one of the uglier hollows he'd had the misfortune to come accross. He was just glad that he could actually do something about it now. He didn't bother with his magic, it didn't work on hollows anyway for some reason. He'd need to rely on his sword for this one. He quickly assesed his surroundings. They were in a pretty open area although there were a few buildings near by that he could use to gain height as there were a few ledges that he'd be able to stand on. An idea began to form in his mind.

The hollow roared before charging at him blindly. Akira quickly dodged, his speed had definitely improved since he left his body, and jabbed at the hollow, piercing another leg. This wasn't any good, he needed to get it in the head if he wanted to take care of it. Then he saw it, the ledge just above the hollow's head.

'Perfect,' he thought.

He quickly jumped, pushing reiatsu into his feet to give himself an extra boost. He landed safely on the ledge. The hollow tried to swipe at him but it wasn't tall enough. Akira felt like being a little childish and stuck his tongue out at the hollow. It growled and jamp, trying to get him again, it was then that AKira made his move. Quickly leaping off the ledge he brought his sword down as hard as he could on the hollow's head. It couldn't stop him as it's arms were raised and to the side as it had been trying to grab Akira. The hollow shrieked as Akira's blade pierced it's skull, the blade cleaving cleanly through the demonic looking mask.

"Nice going Akira!" Ichigo called. Akira grinned before sheathing his blade. He could still feel adrenaline rushing through his body. He felt light headed. He felt good though, really good. Rukia smiled at him.

"Nicely done Akira," she said, congratulating him. He'd done well, better than a lot of rookies did on their first try.

None of them noticed the figure watching them from afar. The figure studied them as they left the area, Ichigo and Akira talking animagedly and Rukia just behind them, throwing the odd comment in here or there. The figure raised his hand and pushed his glasses up his nose as he studied them. His eyes narrowed.

He hated Shinigami.

-o0o-

"Not again!" Akira moaned. This made it, how many times exactly, that they'd gone after a hollow and had arrived to find no hollow present. Tis was getting beyond ridiculous! At first it wasn't that much of a big deal. The soul pager was a machine and they did occasionally make a mistake but after the fifteenth time Akira had begun to think that something else was wrong. They'd get a signal from the Soul Pager and either he or Ichigo would answer it. Then they'd get to where the pager said the hollow was and discover that it wasn't there and then the soul pager said that it was all clear. It was very odd. At least with both him and Ichigo as shinigami they were able to come up with more plausible excuses and only one of them had to go with Rukia so it wasn't Ichigo all the time, that threw the teacher's so they didn't question it. That was most definitely a good thing. Akira wasn't sure how many more times they could get away with the same old excuses. Occasionally Ichigo and Akira would go and leave Rukia behind, the short raven haired shinigami giving them her glove so that one of them could leave their body without needing her there.

"I just don't get it!" Rukia said frustratedly as she stared at the soul pager. "It's working fine!"

"Are you sure?" Akira asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I'm positive," Rukia answered. "I'll take it to Urahara," she muttered, almost too low for Akira to hear. "Maybe he'll know what to do."

"Who's Urahara?" he asked curiously. Rukia silently cursed, she'd thought she'd spoien too quietly for him to hear her. 'Can't deny it now,' she thought. She sighed and faced him.

"Urahara is who provided me with my Gigai and also with the glove."

Akira nodded at that. It only made sense that there was someone in the human world who could provide for shinigami when they got in trouble (He doesn't know that Urahara is an exile yet).

"When'll you go and see him?"

"Soon," she answered, glaring at the soul pager as it beeped again. "And if this keeps up then it'll be sooner than I'd hoped."

Akira sighed as they headed in the direction of the new allert. If this kept up he was sure he'd accidentally blow something up, preferrably the soul pager.

-o0o-

"I'll meet you two back here," Rukia said as she began to walk away from them. They'd just had their first official encounter with Uryu Ishida, a 'quincy' that had a hatred for Shinigami. She needed to talk to Urahara and she needed to talk to him _now!_

"Where are you going?" Akira asked, looking at her. He thought he had an idea but it was better to ask.

"For some information," she replied before turning and beginning to walk away. She turned her head and said over her shoulder, "I'll see you two back at the house."

"Meet you there Ichigo!" Akira called as he began to chase after Rukia.

"Where're you going?" Ichigo demanded, annoyed that he was being left behind.

"To find something!" Akira called back before running after Rukia. It wasn't a lie. He was going to find something, he was going to find out where Rukia was going. "I'll see you later!"

"Whatever," Ichigo muttered before turning and beginning to head back to his house, tucking the glove that Rukia had quickly tossed at him in his pocket. They only had one of them and Ichigo would most likely need it the most if he ran into a hollow.

Akira managed to catch up with Rukia just as she reached a cross roads. Good thing too or he might not have been able to follow her.

"What do you want?" she asked, giving him a hard look.

"I want to come with you," he said simply, as if it were obvious. In a way it was obvious but Rukia ignored that fact for now and gave Akira a hard look.

"Why exactly do you want to come with me?" she asked, staring at him carefully, assesing him.

"I'm curious," Akira admitted honestly. "That and I was wondering if I could ask him if I could get one of those gloves, only one isn't enough for the both of us."

Rukia had to admit that he was right about that. What if one of them ran into a hollow and the other wasn't around. That wouldn't be a problem if Urahara had managed to get her the correct product but she'd worry about that later. She thought about it before sighing and looking back at Akira.

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "You can come."

Akira smiled at her before they turned rught and Rukia directed them to Urahara's shop.

-o0o-

"Kuchiki-san!" Urahara said brightly as she entered his shop again, Akira following close behind her. He took in the shop, shelves full of every day items. He squinted at a packet of something and noticed that it was a few days past it's sell by date. "What brings you back here so soon? And with a friend too! Who's this?"

"Urahara, meet Akira Kurosaki. Akira, this is Kisuke Urahara,"

"Nice to meet you," Akira said, offering the blonde haired man his hand. Urahara took it in a firm grip and smiled at Akira, his eyes hidden beneath his green and white striped hat.

"Nice to meet you Akira-kun!" Urahara said lightly. "Not often I see a wizard Shinigami about."

Akira gave Rukia a startled look but Urahara waved his hand dismissively, as if denying that Rukia was the reason he knew. That was perfectly true after all.

"Don't worry," Urahara said. "I know all about the wizard community. I was quite surprised that you'd like Kuchiki-san in on the secret though."

Akira stared at Urahara hard, assesing if the man was lying or not. His emerald eyes trie dto fix on Urahara's eyes but they couldn't. Half of Urahara's face was in shadow after all, covered by that damn hat.

"Now," Urahara continued. "What can I do for you two today?"

"Firstly," Rukia began, all business. "I need another glove."

"Sure!" Urahara said, turning to a shelf behind him a fishing in a box. "I've got two designs in right now, the blue rabbit or the green snake."

"The snake," Akira said quickly before Rukia could open her mouth. He'd carry this glove around and there was no way he'd be walking around with a rabbit on it. Urahara gave him a knowing look while Rukia shot him a glare but didn't protest. She would have liked to get the rabbit but oh well, she'd get the rabbit soul candy soon enough.

Urahara turned around with a glove in his hand. The glove was a dark green in colour and engraved on it was a silver outline of a snake with silver eyes and green body. The snake's hood was flared and it was coloured a slightly darker silver. It's mouth was open slightly to reveal two rows of sharp silver teeth. Akira had to admit that he liked the design. Urahara passed it over the counter and Akira quickly slipped it over his right hand. It fit perfectly.

"Anything else?" Urahara asked.

"Yes actually," Rukia answered. "What can you tell us about qunicies?"

-o0o-

"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed as he slashed another hollow's mask in half. Why the hell had he agreed to this? He'd thought that Ishida would challenge him to a fight one on one. Not this! The guy was nuts! Didn't he know how many people would get hurt because of that stupid stunt he'd pulled with the hollow bait! No, the guy had to be so arogent, so stupid as to believe that he was strong enough to protect everybody!

"The next time I see that guy," Ichigo muttered to himself. "I'll show him where he can stuff his hollow bait."

Another hollow came up behind him and he quickly dodged it's swipe at him before spinning in mid air and cleaving the mask in two quickly with his sword.

He heard another howl close by and quickly spoed up, not noticing the gash in the sky behiund him.

-o0o-

Akira and Rukia ran through the streets of Karakura searching for Ichigo. There were hollows everywhere and Akira had quickly dumped his body and was in his shinigami form, his dark green and silver, leather like boots thumping on the ground as he ran. Where the hell had they all come from?

"I'll give you two guesses who caused this," Akira panted as he ran. "And the first two don't count."

!Why would Ishida do this though?" Rukia asked, her voice coming in slight gasps as she ran. "It doesn't make any sense."

"We'll know when we find him," Akira answered. "Do you sense anythin?"

"No," Rukia replied. The pair slowed to a stop and took a lok around themselves. They were about three or four blocks from the park. "There are so many hollows....I can't ficus on a single reiatsu above the others, not even yours or Ichigo's."

'Damn,' Akira thought. 'That's that plan out the window.' They needed to calm down, to think rationally. "Rukia, do you know what could have drawn the hollows here? There are so many of them, there was a lot before but this is just ridiculous."

"I'm not sure," Rukia replied, biting her lip as she thought. "Why would anyone want to draw hollows though? It just doesn't make any sense!"

"When we find Ishida we'll ask him," Akira replied. Just then they heard a howl not far off before they sensed a surge of spiritual pressure. "That way!"

They quickly took off again, weaving in and out of people as quickly as they could. I twasn't that important for Akira to do this, people couldn't see him after all but Rukia was solid so there was a risk of bumping into people for her so she had to be careful. As they got nearer the howling sound the reiatsu got stronger.

"It's Ichigo!" Akira said. "I'm sure of it!"

As they reached the source of the reiatsu they caught sight of Ichigo and Ishida taking out hollows left and right. Ichigo was shouting at Ishida but they couldn't make out what the orangette was saying. The quincy shouted something back and Ichigo said something that Akira vaguely recognised as a swear. Akira took a deep breath before drawing his sword and leaping into the fight beside Ichigo, cutting hollows down left right and centre.

"What the hell is going on Ichigo?" Akira demanded after cleaving a hollow in half. "What the hell did you and Ishida do?"

"What makes you think I did anything?" Ichigo demanded indignantly. He recieved a look from Akira and dropped the act. "Fine," he muttered. "Ishida challenged me."

"To what?" Akira demanded, quickly dodging a hollow while he talked and stabbed it in the forehead before dragging his blade down it's face.

"I thought he meant a fight," Ichigo admitted. "Instead he pulled out this hollow bait and then this happened!"

"Hollow bait," Rukia whispered. She couldn't help with the fighting, she was too weak. "Where would he have gotten hollow bait? I hadn't even considdered....but there was no reason to. Who is this quincy?"

-o0o-

"Okay," Tatsuki said, glaring at the strange man with the weird green coat and striped hat. "You have just under five seconds to tell me what the hell is going on or I will use those clogs of yours to kick your ass!"

"Easy, easy," Urahara said, waving his fan in front of his face and tipping his hat to shade his eyes. "I'm not here to fight."

"Well you must be the only one," Tatsuki snapped. She was right. For roughly the last hour strange creatures had been popping up all over the place. First they'd been hard to make out, just vague blobs in mid air that no one else could see. Then they got clearer until she could see them all perfectly. THey were grotesque! They were all different sizes, shapes and colours but they all had one thing in common, they all had a mask as white as bone covering their face. Her head hurt, it was like something was trying to push itself in front of her eyes, wanting her to remember somethng but she couldn't. Something was stopping her from remembering somethying, something important. She didn't like it and when she didn't like something she took it out on whoever was nearest, that was Urahara.

"That's why I'm here," Urahara answered her. "I think I have the answers to some of your questions."

"Oh really?" Tatsuki demanded, glaring at him. "Prove it!"

"Not a problem," Urahara replied, tipping his hat. "Just follow me, we need to fetch Inoue-san and Sado-san first."

"What do they have to do with this?" Tatsukii replied, her protective instincts kicking in when Inoue's name was mentioned. Inoue was like a little sister to her and she'd be damned if she let her little sister get hurt. She'd protect Orihime. Just because Sora wasn't around anymore didn't mean that Orihime wouldn't have a protector.

"They've got just as much stake in this as you," Urahara said calmly. "Do you want answers or not?"

Tatsuki debated with herself for a moment before sighing. She knew that this had something to do with Ichigo and Akira, she just wasn't sure what. THe thought of Akira just made her big sister instincts kick in all the more. Plus there was the fact that since Ichigo was involved then Orihime would go along with this guy whatever she did. She trusted Chad but she'd rather be there to protect Orihime herself. Finally she sighed and stared at Urahara, meeting his gaze firmly with her own.

"Lets go."

-o0o-

They found Chad in the park, slightly tired after fighting off a hollow with the help of Ichigo's younger sister, Karin. He'd gone with them and then they'd had to find Inoue. That had taken longer but when they did finally find her she was crouching over the body of an unconcious Chizuru. Tatsuki felt a flare of anger taht Chizuru would go anywhere near Orihime but then she paused and took in the scene before her. Chizuru was unconscious and Tatsuki was sure she could see a slight pool of blood under Chizuru's head. She quickly ran forwards and crouched beside Orihime.

"Tatsuki," Orihime said quietly. "She, she was almost gone."

"Was?" Tatsuki asked. Orihime modded and pointed at her blue hair clips.

"I healed her," Orihime said quietly. "She was b-bleeding and I...I healed her."

"How?" Tatsuki demanded.

"These," Orihime said, pointing at her clips again.

"You can explain later Inoue-san," Urahara said, interupting the conversation between Orihime and Tatsuki. "Right now there's something you should see."

After making sure that Chizuru was indded alright the four of them headed in the oposite direction, Urahara staying quiet as he guided the three teenagers to their destination. Finally they reached a small bridge with a good view of Karakura.

"Okay," Tatsuki said slowly, looking at Urahara. "Why are we here?"

"Just stay here and watch," Urahara said, a mischievious smile passing accross his half hidden face. "Lets just say that what you're about to see will ensure that you're lives are never the same again. You can choose to ignore it but it will always be there, in the back of your mind, in front of your eyes, everywhere. It's your choice what to do, not mind."

"What the hell is that suposed to mean!" Tatsuki demanded but Urahara didn't pay her any attention, he was just staring up at the sky thoughtfully.

"Just watch and see," he said cryptically before turning and walking away.

"Get back here!" Tatsuki yelled and made to go after him but a big hand on her shoulder held her back. SHe turned to see Chad looking down at her calmly.

"I think we should listen to him," the giant said simply. Tatsuki stared at him for a moment before huffing and shrugging off his hand. She'd wait, for now anyway. Orihime gasped and the other two turned to see what had caught her attention. Tatsuki's mouth opened wide in shock as she saw what Orihime was staring at.

There was a rip in the sky, a big rip. it strethced for many metres and was a deep black in colour. How the hell could the sky be cracking?

"What, what is that thing?" she whispered.

"I think we're about ti find out," Chad answered, staring hard at the sky. "And something tells me that it has something to do with Ichigo and with Akira."

-o0o-

"Ishida, you bloody idiot!" Akira shouted at the quincy as he attacked another hollow. "What the hell were you thinking? Do you know how many people will get hurt because of this!"

"What are you talking about Shinigami?" Ishida demanded. "I've kept the whole city safe, no thanks to you you pathetic Shinigami."

"Think again!" Akira shot back. "Do you know how many bodies I saw on my way over here?" Ishida didn't answer, just paused long enough to give Akira an incredulous look. Was the guy that arrogent? Did he really think that his little stunt wouldn't cause any casualties. Well, Akira was about to burst his little bubble. "There were _a lot_! I couldn't count them all but I lost track after the seventeenth body!"

"The.....seventeenth?" Ishida breathed, his eyes widening. Had he caused that? No, it was impossible. He'd challenged Kurosaki and Kurosaki had accepted his challenge. It wasn't his fault that the idiot couldn't protect anyone....or was it? Kurosaki had thought he was talking about a fight, not a hollow killing competition. No, it wasn't his fault! It was the damn Shinigami! It was their fault! It was always their fault! It was the stupidity and arrogence of the Shinigami that got his grandfather killed!

"Hey, what's that?" Ichigo sudden voice cut through Ishida's internal rant. Both the quincy and the wizard shinigami looked to where Ichigo was pointing. Akira's eyes widened. There was a crack in teh sky, a solid black gash running accross the pale blue sky.

"No," Akira heard Rukia mutter, her face pale and her mouth hanging open as she stared at the crack. "It can't be, not here, not now!"

"What is it?" ASkira demanded.

"A menos," Rukia said quietly, "A Menos Grande."

'Shit,' Akira thought. 'Whatever that is it can't be good.'

-o0o-

"What the hellis that thing!" Tatsuki demanded as she stared at the huge shadowy figure that was emerging from the tear in the sky. Her head was pounding more furiously than ever and she clutched it with her left hand, gripping a railing tightly with her right.

"I don't know,! Orihime whispered. "It's a lot bigger then the other ones."

"You can see them? Chad asked, his deep voice not giving much away as he stared down at the two girls.

"Yeah," Tatsuki replied. "Don't know what they are though."

Her headache was increasing in size and she turned back to the big shape that had finished emerging. Damn it, why did her head hurt so much?

"It's....it's like before," Orihime whispered. "That night."

"What night?" Tatsuki demanded.

Orihime looked at her, a puzzled look on her face.

"You don't remember yet?"

"Remember what?"

"That night at my house, my brother came back as one of those, those things. Remember! You pushed him back when he tried to hurt me."

Tatsuki's eyes widened and all of a sudden her mind was asaulted with images, her and Orihime sitting in Orihime's house chatting, the snake like Sora bursting through the window, her pushing Orihime back and facing the thing, Ichigo coming to protect them....

She clutched her head with pain as the true memories pushed through the false ones and she knew, she remembered.

"That guy is gunna have some explaining to do," Tatsuki muttered, glaring in the direction of the huge blob thing. "Some _serious_ explaining to do."

"I second that," Chad murmured in his usual deep voice.

"Yeah," Orihime chimed in. "Akira too!"

-o0o-

"Damn Quincy," Akira muttered as he quickly leapt backwards. The Menos was huge! How the hell were they suposed to beat something the size of Bloody Big Ben! Again he silently cursed the stupidity of the Quincy. This was bad, this was very _very_ bad.

"We need to do something fast," Ishida muttered. "Before it does too much damage."

"You think?" Akira said, sarcasm dripping from every sylable. "I would have _never_ thought of that! Good work Ishida!" The quincy in question glared spitefully at him before fixing his gaze on the Menos again.

-o0o-

"They can't handle this," Rukia muttered. She was a few yards behind the trio of fighters and her gaze was fixed solely on them. "They aren't strong enough."

"I wouldn't be so sure Kuchiki-san," came a voice from behind her. Rukia turned quickly and saw Urahara behind her, his usual fan waving in front of his face, acting for all the world like this was a casual occurence. "They'll do just fine."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Rukia demanded hotly. "Ichigo and Akira haven't even reached their Shikai!"

"I don't think they'll need it," Urahara said off handedly.

"What makes you say that?"

"That," Urahara said casually, pointing his fan over Rukia's shoulder. Rukia quickly spun around her her eyes almost bugged out of her head at the sight that greeted her.

-o0o-

"What the hell?" Tatsuki exclaimed. They hadn't just seen it, they'd _felt_ it from all the way over here. They hadn't been able to make out any details of what had happened for from what they'd seen someone had charged the huge-ass monster and destroyed it. "How the hell did he _do_ that?"

"You're guess is as good as mine Tatsuki-chan," Orihime said, staring wide eyed. It had been Ichigo, she was sure of it. Not too far above them a black cat sat, watching their reactions. The cat blinked lazily as it looked over to where the Menos had once stood. Power was still flowing and if it had to guess then it would say that the substitute Shinigami's reiatsu had gotten out of control.

The cat stood, it's tale swishing back and forth before it quickly hopped onto another roof and took off on silent as snow paws towards the flaring reiatsu. Something told the cat that things were going to get more interesting soon. Well, more interesting then they already were with a Substitute Shinigami and a Sub Wizard Shinigami around that is.

-o0o-

Ichigo panted, the last of the flaring reiatsu dispersing around him. He looked at Ishida, the Quincy's arms were torn and he'd definitely be in a lot of pain for the next few days.

"Ichigo!" came Akira's voice. Ichigo turned to find Akira running towards him quickly. Akira reached him, panting slightly and quickly bent to inspect his older brother, checking for injuries that he could heal.

"I'm fine," Ichigo said quickly. "Ishida might need some help though." Akira cast his gaze in the direction of the Quincy. Ishida had fallen to his knees and was gasping heavily and clutching one arm with the other. Akira cursed before quickly drawing his wand and heading over to the Quincy. He didn't like to let the Quincy in on his magic but if he didn't then the idiot cdould get an infection. There were a lot of wounds on his arm and if they weren't treated then they could be fatal and he wasn't going to have the death of the idiot hanging over his head.

"Here," he said quietly. "Let me bandage those up so you don't get an infection." Before Ishida had a chance to protest Akira had lifted his wand. "_hōtai de tsutsumu!"_ (Wrap in Bandages) Ishida's eyes went wide as a thick bandage issued from the tip of Akira' wand and wrapped around his arm firmly, not so tight as to restrict blood blow but tight enough to ensure that it would not move around or come lose.

"What exactly are you?" Ishida asked, his voice low as he stared at Akira.

"That," Akira replied, standing and offering a hand to Ishida. "Is something you don't need to know. You have your secrets, Ichigo and I have ours."

"Fair enough," the quincy admitted before allowing Akira to pull him to his feet. He stood on slightly shaky legs before turning his back on the pair and walking away.

-o0o-

**AN: **Okay, I'd just like to say that I am really not happy with the end of this chapter but you guys have waiting long enough for an update and the faster this is up the faster I can move onto the soul society ark and I know that we're all looking forward to that! Especially me!

I couldn't be bothered to write the fight with the Menos Grande to be honest so I kinda just sorta glossed over it. The interesting stuff starts next chapter so I just wanna get this shit over and done with.

Anyways, if you enjoyed it then review and if ya didn't then feel free to get lost. Sorry if I'm a bit blunt but I'm in the middle of exams right now so I'm not really in the best of moods right now. Sorry about any spelling ot typos and if you splot one feel free to point it out to me so that I can hopefully go back and fix it at some point. I look forward to hearing what you have to say about this chapter.

Anyways, cat'cha next time!

MG Mirani


	8. Chapter 8

Hiya folks! How'ya doin'? Alls I can say is Thank Ra my exams are over! I'm on study leave for the next two weeks while the other unlucky people in my year finish up their own exams so I'm completely free for the next two weeks before I go back to school! -does happy dance- Anywho, I've been looking forward to this chapter for a while now. You've guessed it! This is where Kuya-kun and Renji finally show up to take Rukia-chan back to the seireitei. I've been looking forward to typing this chapter for ages now!

**Anon review Reply:**

**Sam: **To answer your questions, I've left a huge ass clue about the pairing in the chapter where I talked about the wands and stuff. Just think, who in Bleach has a connection to an ice dragon. Your second question about England, I'll have a chapter devoted to the goings on in England soon, maybe in the chapter after Chapter 8 but I'm not all too sure yet. The question about Akira and Ichigo's power level...they're basically gunna be on par with each other once they've both learned to harness their separate abilities, Ichigo with his hollow and Akira with his magic. Different powers but the same result, awesomeness! I hope that answered your questions okay.

Anyways, as the poll stands the results are as follows. Some people were getting confused so here's an explanation.

Ichi = Ichigo

Hichi = Hichigo/Ichigo's inner hollow/Arrancar.

Ruki = Rukia

Hichi/Ichi (19)

Ichi/Ruki (5)

-raises eyebrows- kinda one-sided but I'll keep it going for a bit longer in case some other people wanna cast their votes. Thanks to everyone who has voted and also a big shout out to people who've added this to fav story/author lists. You guys are the best! Not to mention the reviewers! Thank you guys SO much! If I don't reply to anyone then sorry. I try and reply to everyone but sometimes I miss someone by accident so if that happens then sorry.

Anyways, let's get to what you've all been waiting for! The next chapter! -fan girl squeal-

-o0o-

**Chapter 8:**

-o0o-

Rukia stared out the window at the bright day. She was in class with Ichigo and Akira. The teacher was droning on about something but she couldn't remember what. Her mind was somewhere else, far, far away from the classroom. She'd been spacing out like this for a few days now, lost in her own thoughts.

She'd become used to the human world. Although she didn't understand a lot of the customs and situations she found herself in...it had grown on her. She realised that she'd begun to think of it as a home, it felt like it with Ichigo and Akira, hell, even their father had begun to make her feel at home!

This was the problem though, they weren't her family and she didn't belong here, didn't belong in the human world. Hell! She wasn't even sure she belonged in the Kuchiki clan in the first place! She was only a part of the clan because Byakuya had adopted her into the family and she still wasn't sure why he'd done that in the first place. It wasn't her place to question him though, she'd learned that at least when she entered the Kuchiki household.

Her big brother wouldn't even look at her.

Rukia felt a pang of sadness wash through her as she thought of Byakuya. He adopted her into the family so why did it seem as if he didn't care? Why didn't he at least look at her? She silently admitted to herself that she wanted something like Ichigo had with his siblings, something closer, more familial.

'What am I thinking?' she silently thought. 'It isn't my place to ask. I've been here too long...'

It was true, she'd spent far too much time around humans. She wasn't a human, she was a Shinigami. She turned her head to look at Akira and Ichigo. Both were looking at the teacher and scribbling down notes, Akira more so than Ichigo. He had two sets of lessons so he needed to make sure he made plenty of notes or he'd fall behind, in both mundane and magical studies. She felt a pang go through her at the thought of leaving here, leaving them behind. She quickly squashed it down deep. It wasn't right. She shouldn't be getting attached.

'I need to leave,' she silently thought. 'And soon. Otherwise, I might not have the strength to later.'

Just then the bell rang, signalling the end of classes for the day. Rukia packed up her stuff along with the rest of the class and made her way outside into the crisp air. It was nearing summer and there was a buzz around the school. If she could remember right Ichigo had said something about Tatsuki having to leave early for a martial arts tournament or something. Apparently the tournament had been scheduled during the summer but something had happened and it was moved up a few weeks. Tatsuki would be gone for at least a month, longer if she made it to the semi and final rounds. Rukia remembered yesterday when she along with Ichigo, Akira, Inoue and Chad had waved the tom boy off. Tatsuki had grinned at them before promising to 'kick some serious ass!'

Rukia couldn't help but smile at the memory. Then she frowned as she thought of the conversation before that, when Inoue, Chad and Tatsuki had confronted them about last week.

Let's just say that Tatsuki was _not_ happy about Rukia messing with her memories, not in the slightest. Rukia couldn't help but shiver at the memory. Tatsuki could be pretty damn scary when she wanted to be, scarier then a lot of hollows now that Rukia thought about it.

This was bad, _very_ bad! Normal humans should not get involved in this, not at all. It was bad enough that Ichigo and Akira were involved! How did she manage to get herself into this situation? Oh yeah, she'd been too stubborn to use her Shikai against that stupid hollow and had to give Ichigo her powers when she got injured.

'Some Shinigami,' she internally berated herself. 'Can't even take out a weak hollow without messing up.'

"Hey Rukia!" Akira called from behind her. She turned to see the raven headed teen approaching quickly, a slightly worried look crossing his pale features. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she answered, slightly confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You seemed...off, during class today, you were staring into space a lot. That isn't like you," Akira explained. He'd glanced at her a couple of times out of the corner of his eye and he'd seen her, her eyes slightly glazed over as she stared out the window. This had sent alarm bells ringing in his head. He hadn't seen Rukia do that before and thus he'd become worried.

"Don't worry Akira," Rukia said, plastering a smile on her face. "I'm fine, just thinking about the soul society, that's all."

"Are you sure?" Akira asked carefully. "If it's something else then you can talk to us you know. You're practically a part of the family now."

That statement sent another pang through Rukia. That was exactly the problem, she was getting too close, far too close. It wasn't good for her, for any of them really. It would only hurt more when she left. Silently she prayed that they wouldn't hate her for leaving without saying goodbye. She needed to though.

If she stayed any longer then soul society would become suspicious and next time they'd send someone higher up, possibly a seated officer. She couldn't allow that, she wouldn't put them in danger like that. She'd leave, she needed to protect them.

-o0o-

Somewhere else in Karakura a gate was opening, not a gate like the Menos appeared through but still a gate. Whereas the Menos's gate was black this one shone brightly. Through the gate two figures appeared. One, the taller of the two, had hair pulled back into a high ponytail. His hair was a fiery red and the length of the hair made it look a bit like a red pineapple. His face bore many tattoos and around his forehead there was a white cloth. He was wearing the traditional Shinigami Shihakusho (death garment) although around one arm he had a piece of white cloth.

The second figure seemed to be the exact opposite. He was wearing the traditional outfit but over that was a white haori and around his neck a long flowing scarf. His facial features were also far different. He was pale and aristocratic looking and his eyes were a piercing violet. His hair was raven black and reached his shoulders although parts of it were held in white clips so that strands fell across his face gently.

"Where now Taicho?" the red head asked quietly.

"We wait," the other replied. "She will come. She will have sensed our arrival."

"Right," the red head said, careful to keep the slight doubt he felt from colouring his tone. It wasn't his place to question his taicho. He sent a silent message to Rukia in his head, begging her to come quickly. He didn't want this to turn ugly, for both her and his sake.

-o0o-

Akira flopped down on his bed, an exhausted expression on his face.

'Thank Kami school is almost over!' he internally groaned. He couldn't wait for a break! He'd been putting in a few extra study hours lately. That, coupled with his new Shinigami responsibilities meant that lately he'd been _very_ tired! It was a good thing that there were two of them otherwise one of them would have probably collapsed by now because of physical, of not mental, exhaustion.

His magical studies were going quite well actually. He'd improved a bit in his transfiguration class and now he could transfigure more complicated objects although his conjuring abilities were average at best right now. His animagus training on the other hand had been going great. The potion to send him into the dream like state would be ready within the next week and he couldn't wait. Every time he thought about it he almost bounced with excitement. He couldn't wait to find out what animal he'd become. He wondered if he'd be big or small, if he'd be able to fly or not or even if he'd be able to defend himself while he was in animal form.

Akira was broken from his thoughts by the creek of bed springs. He turned his head to see Ichigo had sprawled himself out on his bed and was staring up at the ceiling, his arms folded under his head.

"What are you thinking about?" Akira asked curiously.

"Not much," Ichigo replied offhandedly. Akira couldn't resist a jibe or two.

"Nothing new there then is there?" he said teasingly. Ichigo turned his head to glare at his little brother.

"That," Rukia said from her seat at the desk. "Was not called for." There was no real reprimand in her voice, only the tinge of amusement at Akira's teasing.

"Maybe not," Akira said casually. "Doesn't make it any less true though, does it?"

"No," Rukia said, pretending to consider it. "It does not."

"Oi!" Ichigo said affronted. Why did they like to pick on him? "Would you two quit doing that?"

"Doing what?" they asked in sync. Rukia looked startled for a moment, had she really just done that?

"Whatever," Ichigo muttered. He sounded grumpy but if you looked closer, like Akira usually did, then you could see the amusement in Ichigo's expression, the slight tell tale signs that he thought something was funny. "I'm going to sleep."

"Goodnight Ichigo," Rukia said, walking over to the wardrobe, opening it and quickly climbing inside to her makeshift bed.

"G'night Ichigo," Akira said, yawning before pulling the covers over himself. He was _really_ tired. He idly hoped that he'd get a full night's sleep tonight.

Lately his sleep had been...disturbed by strange dreams. It showed a house, slightly run down and dark with two figures. One was slightly hunched while the other was very small and sat in a large arm chair. Whenever they talked he couldn't make out what they were saying but he could tell it wasn't Japanese, it could be English but he wasn't sure. The small one seemed to be ordering the hunched one to do something, something the hunched one wasn't happy about. A few times he'd seen the hunched one grovel at the chair that the small one was sitting in. He couldn't make out any features, there was only the firelight to show what was in the room and it was usually weak, barely noticeable. What really caught his eye though was the huge coiled snake by the fireplace. He couldn't tell what colour it was but it must have been huge judging by the size of the coils.

Whenever he woke from one of these dreams his forehead itched, right where the lightning bolt scar was. He had a bad feeling whenever he awoke, he just knew that something bad was coming, he could feel it with every fibre of his being.

He tired to push the thoughts of the dreams out of his mind. He didn't want to think about it, at least not tonight. He needed a decent night's sleep and by Kami he was going to get it even if he had to make himself a dreamless sleep potion to achieve it!

He closed his eyes, snuggled deeper under the covers, relaxed his breathing and fell asleep.

About an hour later, when she was sure that both teenagers were asleep Rukia quickly and quietly slipped out of the wardrobe. She was about the leave the room when she spotted a blank piece of paper on the desk. Before she could change her mind she made her way over to the desk, grabbed a random pen and scribbled a quick message, it didn't seem right to leave without at least saying something.

Thank you both for everything but I can't stay any longer. If I stay I will only be putting you both in greater risk, especially Akira as the Soul Society, as far as I am aware, do not know of the existence of Wizards or Witches. Don't worry, I'll keep your secrets. Goodbye.

Rukia.

Before she could change her mind she folded it in half, wrote 'Ichigo and Akira' on it before quickly replacing the pen back on the desk and quietly climbing out the window. Her chest hurt and she couldn't resist one last glance back into the room.

"Goodbye," she whispered quietly before quickly taking off down the street, half jogging half running. She'd felt their reiatsu the moment they'd entered the human world. She had to get as far away from here as possible, she had to protect them. They were far away so she wasn't sure exactly who had been sent but she couldn't take the chance.

-o0o-

The black haired Taicho opened his eyes. He felt her Reiatsu approaching, moving steadily in their direction. He frowned, not fast enough. So the rumours were true, she had lost her reiatsu. No matter, it would be dealt with soon enough.

"Abarai," He uttered tonelessly, looking to his left and staring coldly at the red head.

"Taicho?" Abarai replied.

"Come, she is headed our way."

"Hai Taicho."

With that the two figures quickly flash stepped from the roof they had been standing on and begun to make their way to her location.

'Rukia' the red head silently thought. 'What have you gotten yourself into now?'

-o0o-

Akira was dreaming again.

This time he wasn't in the run down house although he could see it, shadowy and imposing in the distance. He was in a graveyard and everything was dark. Just then a 'crack' sound came from behind him. Akira swiftly turned to see what was going on and stared in shock as a teenager, a few years older than himself by the look of it, tumbled out of thin air clutching some kind of cup.

'Must be some kind of Portkey,' he thought. The teenager stood and looked around him, obviously confused. Hadn't he known that the cup was a portkey. Obviously not judging by his expression and wary behaviour. The teen lifted his wand and stared into the distance.

A snap of a twig was heard somewhere behind the teenager. Akira stared over the guy's should to see a hunched figure making it's way towards them, carrying something in it's arms. Akira suddenly had the feeling that he knew who it was and had the desperate feeling that he needed to shout out, to warn the other teenager that there was someone behind him.

To Akira's relief the teen had heard the crack and quickly turned to face the newcomer, wand raised in the ready position.

"Stun him Wormtail."

The voice sounded like the rustle of dead leaves and Akira had to fight not to shiver and back away. He couldn't stop himself from flinching slightly though.

"A-as you w-wish m-m-my m-master," the hunched figure, now known as Wormtail replied, stuttering terribly. Before either Akira or the other teenager could move Wormtail had grabbed a wand from seemingly nowhere and sent a curse at the teenager. The boy tried to dodge but it was too late and the spell caught him. The teenager fell to the ground.

"Now," the voice came again, Akira was pretty sure that it was coming from the bundle in wormtail's arms. "The ritual, quickly!"

Wormtail set to work. He quickly conjured a large cauldron, large enough for at least three grown men to stand in. It was an iron grey and clearly very strong. Underneath the cauldron Wormtail lit a fire and began to work. Akira watched, fascinated despite himself as a potion was brewed in the cauldron.

"Now," the voice said again. "Begin."

"Y-yes m-my lord," Wormtail answered before reaching into an inner pocked and taking out a small bag. "B-bone of the f-father, unknowingly given." Wormtail then upended the bag and white dust tumbled into the cauldron like a micro snow storm. Wormtail stirred it in before continuing. He pulled out a long knife from his robe and Akira could see the hands of the man trembling badly. He held the knife in his right hand and whimpered. "M-master, d-do I have to-"

"Do not question me!" the sharp command sent chills down Akira's spine. "Now, complete the ritual you fool!" Wormtail whimpered again before lifting the knife high over his left hand.

"F-flesh of the s-servant, w-willingly s-sacrificed."

Too late Akira realised what Wormtail was planning to do. Before he had the chance to look away Wormtail brought the knife down on his hand and cleanly sliced through the flesh. Wormtail howled in pain as his now severed hand fell into the cauldron.

"Now, the boy, _quickly!_"

Wormtail held the dagger in his remaining hand and made his way over to the prone figure on the ground. Akira wanted desperately to interfere but he couldn't. He could only watch in horror as Wormtail slit the teenager's wrist deep enough to allow blood to flow freely. Wormtail dropped the knife and retrieved a vial from somewhere and quickly set about collecting blood from the wound. Akira felt sick as he watched this. Finally, after deciding that he'd gathered enough Wormtail returned to the cauldron.

"Blood o-of the e-enemy, forcibly t-taken."

The man's voice was feeble as he spoke, probably from the pain. He tipped the blood into the cauldron and an explosion of acid green smoke issued from it.

'What in Kami's name are they doing?' Akira silently asked himself.

"Now, Wormtail," the voice said again. "You know what to do."

Wormtail picked up the bundle he'd placed on the ground earlier before quickly unwrapping whatever was inside and throwing it into the cauldron. It wasn't so quick that Akira didn't see what had been in the bundle though and the sight of it nearly made him sick. It was the size and shape of a baby but with all the attributes of a rotting corpse.

'Please,' Akira prayed mentally. 'Please, let it drown! Let it drown!'

No matter how hard he wished Akira knew his attempt was futile. The flames around the cauldron flared briefly and the smoke coming from the cauldron turned a deep, blood red. Akira could almost _feel_ the ambient magic in the air. Finally, the smoke began to fade and the flames to burn lower around the base of the cauldron.

'Is it over?' Akira silently asked himself. He really, _really_ should have known better than to ask.

From out of the cauldron a figure began to rise, tall and almost skeletal. It was completely naked and the flesh was as white as bone. Akira studied the face that was half hidden in shadow. The flesh of the face was pale, extremely so, almost like a hollow's mask. The skin was stretched taught against the bones of the face giving the face a gaunt, haunted look. The nose was flat and the nostrils were flared above a lipless mouth which smiled cruelly. It was the eyes that really caught his attention though. They were the colour of freshly spilt blood.

Just then the figure looked up and almost seemed to make eye contact with him. A smile spread across the thin, lipless mouth.

"I have returned," The voice came out as a hiss and Akira suddenly reached up and grabbed his forehead, his scar _burned!_

-o0o-

Ichigo woke with a start. He was disoriented but he knew what had broken him from his sleep, Akira. His little brother was tossing and turning in his sleep, one hand clutching his head while the other was clutching the sheets desperately. Akira was moaning and whimpering in his sleep. Ichigo quickly threw off the covers of his own bed and rushed to his little brother. He tried to shake Akira but his little brother didn't' seem to notice, too deep in his own night terrors to notice Ichigo's presence.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed. This was a bad one, he could tell. He needed to wake Akira up and fast. A few times when Akira was younger and he'd gotten into similar situations his magic had begun to fluctuate. Ichigo was pretty sure that that wouldn't happen now that Akira had control over it but he didn't want to take a chance. He needed to wake Akira up and fast!

Deciding on a course of action quickly Ichigo grabbed Akira's shoulder and quickly began to shake him hard. Akira seemed to stir but did not wake.

"Come on," Ichigo muttered. "Akira! Wake up Akira! It's only a dream, come on Otouto, wake up!"

-o0o-

Through the haze of pain Akira heard something, a distant voice that seemed to be calling to him.

"Come on Otouto! _Wake Up!_"

His head was pounding, he couldn't concentrate. Who was shouting him? What was he saying? He could barely concentrate. All around him was darkness, pure and utter darkness.

"Akira!"

There it was again, who was it? Why was it so familiar. Then it came to him. Ichigo, his brother. Why was Ichigo telling him to wake up? He wasn't dreaming was he? Through the haze of pain he tried to concentrate. He had been dreaming, he was in the graveyard and he'd seen that ritual, he'd seen...something (or was it someone?) rise from the cauldron and when he'd met the blood red eyes...

-o0o-

With a startled gasp Akira pulled himself awake, shooting up in bed and dislodging Ichigo's hands from his shoulders. He was panting heavily and his head was still sore. He raised his hands and buried his face in them, silently urging the pain to stop.

"Akira?" Ichigo's voice broke through the pain and Akira looked up at him with bleary eyes.

"I'm f-fine," his voice quavered. Ichigo snorted and sat down beside him on the bed.

"Somehow," Ichigo replied. "I don't think that's true."

"My head hurts," Akira admitted. He didn't like to admit when he was hurt or sore. It was probably a left over instinct from living with the Dursleys for so long. Ichigo frowned and pulled Akira's hands away to study his face. His breath caught as he looked at Akira's forehead.

"The scar, it's bleeding."

"What?" Akira brushed his right index finger over the scar, doing his best to ignore the sharp spike of pain it caused and brought it to eye level. Sure enough his finger was coated in fresh blood. "Shit!"

"Here," Ichigo handed him a tissue and Akira pressed it to his forehead, not entirely hiding the wince as a white hot bolt of pain assaulted his senses. "What happened? You were dreaming and then...this happened."

Akira told Ichigo about the dream he'd been having, the graveyard, the other teenager, the ritual, the man and then the pain.

"It started when our eyes met," Akira admitted.

"Do you know who it was?" Ichigo asked.

"I think I might have an idea," Akira admitted reluctantly. He didn't want to think about it, it should be impossible shouldn't it? People didn't come back from the dead. Well, Rukia was here but that was different, she was a Shinigami and she was sent here. The figure that came out of the cauldron was different. Come to think of it, where was Rukia? Surely she'd heard what had been going on. That was when he noticed the piece of paper on the desk with their names on it. "Hey Ichigo, what's that?"

Ichigo turned and hastily picked up the note. He unfolded it and read it aloud. When he'd finished Ichigo cursed. "What the hell is she thinking?"

"Are we going after her?" Akira asked, attempting to push the covers off.

"_We_ aren't doing anything!" Ichigo snapped replacing the covers over Akira and forcing him to lie back down. "There is no way in hell I'm letting you out of bed after that!"

"But-"

"No!" Ichigo said firmly, he calmed slightly and stared at Akira. "I'll probably have to fight and you're no good to fight like this. Just stay here, please." Akira couldn't deny that Ichigo was right. His head still hurt and it'd only be a distraction in a fight, definitely not good and if he was distracted then someone could take advantage of that and that could put Ichigo in danger. He sighed before staring at Ichigo.

"Be careful," Akira said seriously.

"I will."

With that Ichigo grabbed Akira's glove and used it to punch himself out of his body. Casting a final glance at Akira Ichigo rushed to the window and leapt out, disappearing into the dark sky.

-o0o-

Rukia was running, trying to put as much distance between her and the Kurosaki house as possible before they found her. She knew they were close, she couldn't tell just how close but she knew that they weren't far away.

'Please,' she silently thought as she ran. 'Please don't let them hate me.'

"A bit late to be going for a run, wouldn't you say Rukia?"

The voice had come from somewhere above her. Rukia stopped and looked up sharply to see two figures standing on a roof above her. She'd recognised that voice, how could she not? She'd known that voice since she was just a kid living in the lower districts of Rukongai!

"Renji," she breathed.

The red head, now identified as Renji, jumped from his perch on the roof and landed in front of her.

"So," Renji said, his expression neutral and voice hard as he stared at her. "The rumours are true."

"What rumours?" she demanded hotly.

"That a human stole your powers."

"What? That isn't true!"

"Then explain to me why exactly you're in a gigai and I can't feel your spiritual pressure!"

Her eyes widened, she was like a deer caught in a set of headlights.

"Look at that expression on your face," Renji said, clear disgust evident in his voice. "It's so pathetic! So, _human! _Did you think you could hide it? That they wouldn't notice? That Kuchiki-Taicho wouldn't notice?" From behind her Rukia heard the soft sound of someone landing. She spun around quickly and her eyes widened

"Nii-sama," Rukia whispered.

He wasn't looking at her, instead staring off to the side, avoiding any contact with her. He spoke, his voice smooth and cold. Rukia felt a shiver go up her spine.

"You will tell us where the human who took your powers resides. Doing so could improve your standing with Central 46 enough to avoid the death penalty."

Rukia's eyes hardened. She wouldn't. She wouldn't sell out Ichigo and Akira like that just to save her own skin, she wasn't like that and she was sure, despite not knowing them for that long, that they would do the exact same thing for her. She took a deep breath before looking at her brother's face hard, he did not look back. She did not answer him.

"Come on Rukia," Renji said from behind her. "Make this easier on yourself and tell us where the bastard that took your powers is!"

She stayed silent, she wouldn't rat them out like a little snitch.

"Fine!" Renji threw his hands up in annoyance. "Don't tell us, you're only making this worse for yourself."

"Oi!" Came a voice from above them. Rukia's head snapped up and she stared in horror at the figure above them. She closed her eyes, silently praying that she was mistaken, that it wasn't him. He shouldn't have found the note until the morning.

"Ichigo," she breathed.

-o0o-

Ichigo had found Rukia a few minutes ago but he'd waited to see what these guys wanted. When he'd heard the words 'death penalty' he'd had to stop himself from jumping down and cutting the head clean off the red head. Renji was it? The fact of the matter was that Ichigo had been too stunned that Rukia had called the other 'Nii-sama' He was her older brother? Why hadn't she told him about this guy before? It didn't matter now; all that mattered was making sure that Rukia didn't get hurt.

Ichigo leapt down from his perch on the roof of a nearby building and landed just behind Renji so that the red head was between him and Rukia.

Renji smirked as he turned to face Ichigo; his eyes scanned the oranette's appearance, lingering on the _very_ large sword on his back.

"So," Renji sneered. "You showed up." He studied Ichigo again, taking everything from the sandals o his feet to his bright orange hair. "How pathetic."

"Abarai," came the sharp voice of the other Shinigami. The other stared at Ichigo, his dark violet eyes giving nothing away. "What is your name?"

"Ichigo," Ichigo replied, reaching up to grasp the hilt of his sword. "Ichigo Kurosaki, Substitute Shinigami."

"Just run you idiot!" Rukia shouted at him. "You can't fight them!"

"Sorry Rukia," Ichigo said, smiling at her. "But you know I don't run from a fight."

The phrase 'stubborn male' ran through Rukia's head unbidden. Why did the male species have to be so hard headed?

"Now," Ichigo said, staring over Rukia's shoulder. "I know his name-"he jabbed a finger at Renji. "But I don't know yours."

"It is unnecessary for me to reveal my name to you, _human._" Ichigo detected the slightest change in tone when the guy said human, like he was uttering a curse. Ichigo glared at him.

'Stuck up bastard,' he silently thought.

"Whatever," Ichigo replied. "I didn't come here to fight, I came to get Rukia."

Renji sneered at him hatefully. There was no way he was going to let this worthless human get his claws any farther into Rukia then he already had.

"Somehow," Renji spat. "I don't think that is going to happen any time soon."

"We'll see," Ichigo replied, seemingly unfazed by the glare the red head was sending his way. He'd faced worse, namely Akira when he was angry. He'd _much_ rather face another Menos then be on the receiving end of Akira's temper.

"We will," Renji snarled before drawing his own sword. Ichigo barely had time to draw his own blade before the clang of metal rang through the deserted streets.

-o0o-

Akira stared out of the bedroom window. A half moon hung in the night's sky, shimmering gently against the dark blue surrounding it. He idly wondered what it would be like, to be so close to the moon that you felt like you could touch it. He stretched out a hand but was met with only empty air. He dropped it back to his side. He was propped up by many pillows on his bed and his head was tilted so he could stare out the window. He was worried about Ichigo. He'd been gone too long.

'Calm down,' he silently told himself. 'He probably ran into a hollow or something, that's why it's taking him so long. He'll get her back.'

"He'll come back."

Akira hadn't noticed that he'd spoken the last part out loud. It was true though, Ichigo would come back. He was sure of it.

Just then he felt something, a wave of reiatsu. The strength of the reiatsu wave knocked the air from his lungs and he gasped. His eyes were wide as he stared out the window. What the hell was that?

He reached out with his own reiatsu, trying to detect what exactly the reiatsu was. It was even stronger then the Menos Grande. He felt it and his brows wrinkled in confusion. It wasn't hollow reiatsu it was….

"Shinigami."

But why was another Shinigami here? The reiatsu was strange and unfamiliar so he knew Rukia couldn't have gotten her powers back. Who did it belong to? Whoever it was they were strong, really strong.

Rukia's reiatsu had been very weak but Akira had been able to feel it, to identify it. Hers had a strange, slightly frosty presence while this strange Reiatsu seemed more wild and animalistic. He couldn't really tell what Ichigo's reiatsu was like, probably because it was Rukia's powers mixing with Ichigo's own reiatsu. That definitely made it harder. He could tell where Ichigo was and it unnerved him to realise that Ichigo and the other Reiatsu were close, very close. Something told him that that wasn't a good thing, not a good thing at all.

"He'll be fine," he told himself silently. "Ichigo'll be fine, he can handle it."

"Do you really think so?" came a voice from the window. Akira hadn't noticed that he'd shut his eyes but now they flew open at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. He blinked, not registering exactly what he was seeing.

"Well!" the cat demanded, sounding annoyed. "Are you just going to stare at me like an idiot or are you going to shut your mouth and listen?"

Akira's mouth shut with an almost audible 'click'. Akira got the impression that the cat was smirking at him.

'Okay,' Akira silently thought. 'A talking cat has just entered my bedroom.' This wasn't the strangest thing he'd ever seen, he'd seen many _very_ strange magical creatures before but this definitely ranked up there with the strangest. 'Am I losing it?'

"Don't look at me like that!" the cat snapped. "And before you ask, no you are not going crazy."

"Who are you?" Akira asked his voice tentative.

"The name's Yoruichi," the cat said, jumping down from the window to land on the end of Akira's bed lightly. "And I'm here to help."

"Help with what exactly?" Akira asked.

"Training," the cat said simply. "You felt that Reiatsu spike didn't you?"

Akira nodded; it had been rather hard _not_ to notice it.

"Well," Yoruichi continued. "That spike you just felt is the result of a fight between your brother, Ichigo, and the Lieutenant of Squad Six, Renji Abarai."

"Why exactly are they fighting?" Akira asked, putting the rank aside for a moment, he'd ask about that later.

"Rukia Kuchiki," was the simple answer. "She didn't tell you this but giving her powers to Ichigo, even under the circumstances, was a grave crime in the eyes of the Soul Society."

"But why?" Akira asked, confused. "I mean, if she hadn't then we could have all been killed, including her!"

"Unfortunately they don't see it like that," Yoruichi replied, clearly not agreeing with the decision. "Some understand the need for it but their views are rarely taken into account in these matters. The fact of the matter is that, because of her actions that night when she gave your brother her powers, she, in effect, signed her own death warrant."

"What?" Akira demanded, this didn't sound good, not good at all.

"You heard me," Yoruichi said. "The crime of giving your powers to a human is punishable by death. The soul of the Shinigami is literally torn apart."

"Isn't there a way to stop it?" Akira asked, eyes wide. Rukia had put herself in this danger for them? Why did she do that when she knew the consequences?

"Not right now," Yoruichi admitted. "Ichigo is fighting Lieutenant Abarai now but even, by some stroke of luck, he is able to defeat him there is no way he'd be able to defeat Kuchiki-Taicho."

"Kuchiki?"

"Yes, Rukia's adoptive older brother, the head of the Kuchiki clan, Byakuya Kuchiki."

"Why would he willingly bring his sister back to be executed?" Akira demanded hotly. He knew for a fact that no sibling, _especially_ not an older sibling should do that! Older siblings were meant to protect their younger siblings. That's why they were born first; at least, that's how he and Ichigo saw it and that is why they protected Karin and Yuzu so strongly. The thought of letting something like that happen to either of them, the thought of _helping_ do that to them made Akira sick.

"It is a long story," Yoruichi said sadly. "And not mine to tell. Let's just say that it has to do with his past and an important promise he made to his parents and leave it at that."

"But what can we do?"

"For now, nothing."

"But if we do that then they'll-"

"I didn't say we wouldn't help," Yoruichi cut in quickly. "It just isn't the right time. If, by extreme luck, Ichigo is able to defeat Kuchiki-Taicho (which there is no hope of by the way) many more would be sent, each one stronger than the next. It would be impossible to keep her safe from them."

"Then what can we do?"

"In this case it is customary for the sentencing of a criminal of the Soul Society to wait thirty days before they are executed. This gives is a window of opportunity. When she is taken me, along with Kisuke Urahara, will train the both of you."

"But, you're a cat," Akira said lamely. Yoruichi smirked at him, a strange expression to see on a cat's face.

"Oh, I'm far more than just a cat," Yoruichi purred.

Akira narrowed his eyes at Yoruichi and studied the black cat closely. Tentatively he reached out and 'felt' the cat's spiritual pressure. He gasped. It was suppressed well but he could still feel it, the pressure was immense, almost as large as Ichigo's but there was something different about it. The reiatsu was calmer, tamed. Then he felt something else, something bubbling beneath the surface of the cat's fur instead of lying on top of it like the reiatsu. Confused he studied it harder, trying to work out exactly what it was. Yoruichi smirked at him, understanding what he was trying to do. Finally Akira's eyes widened in realisation.

"You're not a cat," he whispered, his mouth hanging open slightly as he stared at the black cat. "And you're not just a Shinigami, you're a…"

-o0o-

Ichigo fell to the ground hard, his body aching. He gasped, trying desperately to force air back into his lungs. It hurt, damn it it hurt! He was finding it hard to breathe. He forced himself to look up at the one who had done this to him, the one that had moved so fast that he hadn't even seen it coming! Kuchiki stared down at him disdainfully, his sword slightly raised, ready for the final blow.

"Ichigo!" Rukia's sharp cry forced Ichigo to turn his head. Renji had a hold of Rukia and was stopping her from running to him. Ichigo growled as he saw Renji twist her arm painfully behind her back. Despite the fact that he was injured Renji still managed to hold Rukia in a strong grip.

"Don't you even _think_ about going to him Rukia!" Renji hissed, gripping her tighter. "You're already in enough trouble as it is. He'll die soon anyway so just let Kuchiki-Taicho puts him out of his misery."

Rukia's eyes welled with unshed tears as she stared at Ichigo. She didn't want this. She didn't want him to get hurt. She was glad that Akira wasn't here. She didn't think she could stand it if he was hurt like this too. It was bad enough that Ichigo was in this position. Right now she hated herself and she couldn't even go to help him!

"This is the end for you," Kuchiki spoke softly. "Goodbye, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Kuchiki raised his blade, ready to pierce Ichigo's chest a second time.

"Wait!" Rukia screamed. She tore herself free from Renji's grasp and quickly stepped between him and her brother. "Please, Nii-sama, don't."

Kuchiki averted his eyes from her, instead staring at the prone form of Ichigo on the ground. Rukia continued, heedless of the fact that Kuchiki wasn't staring at her, he never did anyway so what was the point in caring about that now?

"Please, he can't do anything to interfere anymore. He can't harm anyone, you stopped his access to my powers. Please Nii-sama, leave him."

"You will come quietly?" It was more a statement then a fact.

"Yes, Nii-sama," Rukia answered, bowing her head.

"Very well," Kuchiki sheathed his blade, turning to stare at his Lieutenant. "We're leaving Abarai."

"Hai Taicho!" Renji quickly followed his Taicho's example, falling into step behind the dark haired male as he prepared to open a gate to the Soul Society. Renji cast a scornful glance at Ichigo who was still lying on the ground.

"Rukia!" Ichigo called.

"Don't," came the almost sharp reply. Ichigo's eyes widened at Rukia's response. By this point Kuchiki had opened the gate and had stopped through as had Renji. There was no need to wait for her. She had promised that she would go and she would keep her promise, if she didn't then they would hurt Ichigo more. That was the last thing she wanted.

"Please," she said in a softer voice, turning to face him. "Just, just lie there. Save your strength. If, if you don't die from this you can go back to being a normal person, you won't be hunted by the soul society."

"Rukia," he said again, his voice softer.

"Don't!" she snapped, whirling to face him. He saw that her eyes were glazed with unshed tears as she stared at him. "Don't! I don't want to see you again! You or Akira! Stay away and don't come after me!"

With that she turned and slowly began to walk towards the gate, her footsteps barely noticeable above the sound of the rain which had started to fall. Ichigo stared fixedly on her back, not looking away as Rukia entered the glowing light of the gate. Just before she entered she turned and Ichigo saw a single tear trickle down her cheek.

Then, with a creek the doors of the gate shut, the gate disappeared and Rukia was gone. Ichigo couldn't stay conscious anymore. With a thud his head hit the ground and he let himself be dragged into the depths of unconsciousness.

-o0o-

Kisuke Urahara stepped out from his near by hiding place and surveyed the damage done to both the surroundings and to the teenager on the ground. He had to admit that he was quite impressed with Ichigo. He wasn't expecting the strawberry to fair so well against Lieutenant Abarai. He wasn't at all surprised that he'd fallen to Kuchiki-Taicho but he'd been impressed that Ichigo was still conscious afterwards, that wasn't an easy feet.

He studied the still body on the ground before sighing dramatically. He had a lot of work to do if he wanted to train Ichigo. It wouldn't be easy, he was sure of that but with the right guidance and training he was sure that Ichigo would turn out to be a power house. He had to be. Urahara had a _very_ bad feeling. He knew that he shouldn't have sealed the Hogyoku inside of Rukia Kuchiki but at the time he couldn't see any other way. She needed a Gigai and by putting the Hogyoku in there with her it would allow him to safely destroy it.

Oh don't get him wrong, he did feel guilty about robbing Rukia of her powers like that as, if the process had been completed like it should have been, then Rukia would have had no more spiritual pressure then an average human and would be unable to return to the soul society. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Rukia in some ways, that had not happened and she was brought back to the Soul Society. Now came a whole different problem.

If they executed her using the Sokyoku then they were all in deep shit to put it bluntly. If that bastard got his hands on it….

Urahara forced his thoughts away from that direction though. He couldn't afford to focus on that now; he had a future student to heal. He was pretty sure that Ichigo would be quite, eh, testy when he woke up and Urahara wanted to be ready for that.

'Let's hope Yoruichi was able to talk Akira into training. We'll need all the help we can get. Not to mention the others. The Quincy could be a help, not to mention Sado-san and Inoue-san."

So it was with these thoughts in mind that Kisuke Urahara returned to his shop with an unconscious Ichigo. The teenager needed healing and rest before he would be ready for his training.

Urahara mentally sighed. He just knew that training Ichigo was going to seem like more trouble than it was worth. Oh he knew that it wouldn't be, the advantages of training Ichigo were staggering but still….Oh well, he'd have some fun with it. If he had to train Ichigo then he'd at least get a few laughs out of it. What was the fun in life if you couldn't have a little fun? That was his excuse and he was sticking to it, no matter what thank you very much!

Now, how to start things off…..

Urahara entered his store with a decidedly evil expression on his face. The two kids, Jinta and Ururu, quickly ducked out of the way when they saw his expression.

"Carrot Top is doomed," Jinta whispered conspiratorially. Ururu could do little but nod in agreement. Whenever that particular look crossed Kisuke Urahara's face it was best to start running, _fast_.

"Poor Ichigo," she said timidly, staring after Urahara and Ichigo.

"Poor Ichigo?" Jinta exclaimed, turning to look at Ururu incredulously. "Never mind him! What about us?"

-o0o-

**AN:** DON'T KILL ME! -hides behind shield as readers glare and throw pointy objects- I was gunna sent Tatsuki to the soul society with them originally but then I actually stopped to plan out what I wanted to happen and I realised that it wouldn't actually work with Tatsuki there cuz I'm already causing myself a hell of a headache by including Akira into the mix and Tatsuki was just one person too many. I PROMISE that as soon as they're back in the real world Tatsuki will be included more but for now lets just say that her power is steadily increasing cuz it's linked to her fighting so just think of the competition she's at as a long term training mission for her. Okay? Plus I can assure you that she is gunna MAJORLY pissed off that they did something so risky and dangerous and didn't bring her. Plus she's gunna be mad that they brought Inoue with them so that should cause a big scene.

What did you guys think? I finally introduced some of the UKs Wizarding World into this. -cheers- it took me a while to figure out how to start it off but once I started it was kinda hard to stop. I'll have a catch up chapter of the Wizarding World soon, promise!

Does anyone else know what I did with Yoruichi? I'm hoping that someone'll figure it out.

Just to clear this up, the part with Ichigo near the end where he was on the ground was from his point of view. He wasn't told Byakuya's first name so he just calls him 'Kuchiki' since he doesn't know what to call him other then that. Hope that clears it up for you guys.

Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this and I'm looking forward to getting any feedback you give me. It always helps and if I know what you guys like/don't like then I should be able to make this better. I won't always be able to update so fast but this chapter kinda flowed so it was a lot easier to write for some reason.

Anyways, C'ya all next time! Please review!

MG Mirani


	9. Chapter 9

Hello everyone! I'm in a good mood right now. My exams are over and I feel on top of the world! Now if only my little sister would bugger off the day would be absolutely perfect….anyways, here's the poll results so far!

Hichi/Ichi (22)

Ichi/Ruki (5)

**Anon Review Replies**

**ApollosDeath**

Thanks! I'm glad you liked it so much! I agree with you about that, Hichi/Ichi CAN be quite addicting, especially after you've read a few of the really good fics out there about them. –Grins- it's hard NOT to love the pairing! In the early stages of this story, when I was just planning it out, I did actually consider Byakuya/Harry but then another idea came along, one that actually worked really well with the Bleach and Harry Potter time lines, and I changed it. I might try that in the future though, it could be interesting and I'd love to read it if anyone else on the site used a Byakuya/Harry pairing. Thanks again!

**Its on the tv**

To be honest I will be changing things for Ichigo a bit, maybe not quite as much as you're suggesting but he will be slightly different cuz he's got a little brother to compete with now and I think that would change his personality and abilities a bit. Yes! –Grins evilly- they are gunna take the Wizarding world by storm!

Well, here goes the next chapter. I know you guys have been looking forward to this since last chapter. I think I annoyed a few of you by leaving it at that point but I thought it was a good place to stop, that and I wanted all the training to be in one chapter, gets it outta the way so I don't have to deal with it again later. Anyways, without any more rambling from me…..onto the fic!

Just to let you know, not all updates will be this fast. I was on a roll with this one and I just couldn't stop! Tell me what you think please! Thanks!

-o0o-

**Chapter 9: Training**

-o0o-

It was still dark as Akira made his way quietly out of the house, being as careful as possible so that he didn't make any noise that could alert his family that he was awake. The last thing he wanted was to get caught be either Karin or Yuzu. Kami help him if his father found him! He shuddered involuntarily at the thought and kept going, almost there, just a couple more steps….safe! He silently cheered in his head before quickly making his way to the end of the street where the black cat, Yoruichi, sat waiting for him on top of a wall.

"Ready to go?" Yoruichi asked him.

"Yeah," Akira replied. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Good." With that Yoruichi stood and stretched lazily before jumping to the ground. "Follow me, no sense wasting time just standing here. Better start as soon as possible. You've got _a lot_ of training to do!"

Akira suddenly got the feeling that this wasn't going to be very pretty. He stared down at the cat as it strode in front of him, the tale swishing from side to side as the black paws pounded the pavement almost silently. Just what had he let himself in for when he'd accepted Yoruichi's training? He was about to find out.

"Now," Yoruichi continued. "Usually I'd use the room below Kisuke's shop but since he'll be using it for the next few days I can't so we'll just need to use somewhere else."

"Where exactly?" Akira asked.

"Oh, it isn't far," Yoruichi replied casually. "Just about five miles outside Karakura."

"Five miles?"

"We don't have the protection of Kisuke's underground room so yes, five miles. People will be fare enough away from us so they won't be in danger and by the time I'm through five miles will seem like nothing! You're in good hands here."

'Technically right now it's paws.' He didn't say that out loud though. Pissing off his teacher probably wasn't a good way to start things off.

"Now," Yoruichi continued. "When we get there we've got a lot of ground to cover and not long to do it. Usually executions take thirty days so we have a window for you and Ichigo to train and get stronger. Kisuke and I will train you separately for twenty days and then we'll head to the Soul Society."

"Will twenty days be enough?" Akira asked worriedly.

"If it isn't then I have something that just might help," Yoruichi said vaguely. Akira didn't ask, he had a feeling that the cat wouldn't tell him. "Now, when we get there the first thing we'll be working on is your Shikai."

"Shikai?"

"Yes, Shikai. All Zanpakto have three stages, sealed, Shikai and Bankai. The sealed form is the form that your blade is in right now. Shikai is the Initial release. To achieve this you must know the name of your Zanpakto. Every Zanpakto has a name specific to that blade and each is far different from any other blade. For example one Shinigami in the Soul Society may have a blade that takes the form of a large spear while another could have something completely different. Each Zanpakto's abilities are different depending on the user of the blade. Are you following so far?"

Akira nodded, waiting for Yoruichi to continue. The cat did so.

"Now, usually it would take a long time to achieve the initial release as it takes a long time to learn the name of your Zanpakto. You, on the other hand, have a slight advantage to others."

"I do?" Akira asked, confused. He didn't have an advantage did he? As far as he could tell he was behind in a lot of things concerning the Shinigami.

"Your advantage is that you have been studying Occlumency for the past few years. Another fact is that lately your Zanpakto has been calling out to you."

"What do you mean? How has it been calling to me and why does Occlumency give me an advantage?"

"To achieve the initial release it is important to get in contact with your Zanpakto by entering your mind or mindscape as some term it. You, thanks to your Occlumency shields, should not have too much difficulty in achieving this. As for your blade calling you….haven't you been having dreams lately? Dreams of someone or something calling to you? And no, I am not talking about the dream you had earlier tonight, which was completely different. Think Akira. Have you had any other strange dreams lately?"

Akira searched his mind, trying to figure out what Yoruichi could be talking about. He thought for a moment before his eyes widened as it hit him. That dream a while ago, when he was in the forest of fire with that, whatever the hell it was, flying towards him. What had been his Zanpakto?

Yoruichi looked back at him and seeing the look on his face grinned in satisfaction.

"See!" the cat said smugly. "I was right. The fact that your blade is trying to contact you is a good sign, it means that you're almost ready to achieve your initial release. All you need is training and I'm just the person to do it!"

"You mentioned something else," Akira said cautiously. "There was Shikai and Bankai, what exactly is that?"

"Bankai is the second release of the Zanpakto," Yoruichi explained. The black cat jumped into the air and landed on a fence beside the pavement. Yoruichi continued to walk along the top of the fence, level with Akira. "This usually takes a lot longer for a Shinigami to master. A Bankai release is a lot harder to control then a Shikai release because it is so much more powerful. Usually when Bankai is activated the blade changes again, sometimes taking on a completely different form and sometimes just turning into a larger version of the Shikai. For example, one Taicho of the Gotei 13 has a Bankai that allows him to create a large area of darkness where all his enemy's senses are cut off, they can't hear, they can't see, they can't touch, they can't feel anything. Another example is Kuchiki-Taicho, the one who Ichigo fought tonight. His initial release allows him to split his blade into a thousand smaller blades which are only visible when they glint in the light. They look a bit like Sakura petals. His Bankai is more or less the same, just with a lot more blades and a lot more power behind it."

"You mentioned him before," Akira mused. "How exactly are the ranks of Shinigami structured?"

"Well," Yoruichi answered. "At the very top there is Central 46, a little like a government. After that comes the head of the Gotei 13. Yamamoto-Soutaicho. After him comes the other twelve Taicho, each the leader of their own squad. Each squad has a different purpose. For example Squad 2 is the stealth and punishment force while Squad Twelve is the research division. After the Taicho come the lieutenants who are second in command of the squad. It is their responsibility to take over the running of the squad if their Taicho is either unable to or is killed. After that are the seated officers, Shinigami who have worked their way up. They are more powerful then an ordinary Shinigami but the gap between a third seat and a Lieutenant is still a very large gap. After that comes the normal, every day Shinigami. Many stay at this level for their whole lives, not advancing to a seated position in their squads. There is also the Kido Corps. This is for Shinigami who have shown a talent for Kido, their version of spells and curses. You witnessed that the first time you let Rukia-san yes?"

Akira nodded; it had been quite amusing to see Rukia bind Ichigo like that. He just wished he'd had a camera, that picture was _definitely_ worth more than a thousand words.

"There are three main branches of Kido, Hado, these are the offensive attacks. Next is Bakudo, the binding arts and finally there are healing Kido. Each kido is assigned a number from one to a hundred and the more powerful the kido the higher the number. Each Kido has a chant that is invoked when they are used although after a while many do not actually use the chant. The kido can still be used without the chant but in a battle situation it is not always practical to spend a long time chanting and it is important to catch the enemy be surprise. With me so far?"

Akira nodded to show he was following. It was quite interesting really. He wouldn't mind seeing more of these Kido. He'd seen Rukia perform a few Kido but he'd checked, she didn't have any magic in her so the attacks were purely reiatsu based.

"We'll talk more about this later," Yoruichi continued. "For now I want to focus on you achieving Shikai. After that then we'll talk about Kido. There is something else I was wondering. How close are you to finding your animagus form?"

"The potion for going into the trance is almost ready," Akira admitted. Then he cursed silently, he hadn't told his teachers where he'd be going and he had one day of lessons left. How could he have been so stupid? Damn it, what was he going to do. Yoruichi seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Don't worry," the cat said, smirking at him. "I took care of it and the potion is there are waiting for you when you finally achieve Shikai."

Akira decided that he didn't want to know; he really, _really_ didn't. Some things were just better left alone.

"Now," Yoruichi said, a mischievous glint in those golden eyes. "Lets get moving. The faster you get there the longer a break you'll have before training." With that the black cat picked up the pace that Akira had to start jogging to keep up. "Not bad, but can you keep it up!"

With that Yoruichi took off, not running but loping along the fence, jumping over any gaps in the way. Akira cursed. So that was how Yoruichi wanted to do it. Fine then, He took off after the black cat, determined not to be left behind.

Ahead of him Yoruichi smirked; he had no idea who he was dealing with. By the end of this the kid would be exhausted. Better to test his endurance now rather than later, that way she knew how far she could push him and where his limits were. Then she'd have him smash right through them.

-o0o-

Ichigo groaned as he woke up. His head hurt and he gingerly rubbed his temples. Why did his head hurt so much? He looked around him and immediately became wary. He didn't recognise this place. Where was he?

"Ah, you're finally awake Kurosaki-kun!" came a voice from his right. Ichigo turned to see a many in a green haori like thing staring at him from behind a fan. The guy had a white and green striped hat covering his sandy blonde hair and shadowing his eyes so Ichigo couldn't read the expression in them. Something about the guy put him on edge though, not the feeling he'd gotten from the two Shinigami from last night but different….a bit like the feeling he'd get from Akira when his little brother was pissed and about to pull a prank.

Shit!

Now he remembered last night, his fight with Renji Abarai and that guy, Rukia's older brother. How the hell did he get here when the last thing he could remember was lying on the ground? And where the hell _was_ here anyway? This guy had a lot of lot of questions to answer.

"Who are you?" Ichigo asked, better to be blunt, it usually got you your answers quicker.

"Kisuke Urahara," the man, now identified as Urahara said, taking his hat off his head and giving a sort of salute. "Nice to meet you Ichigo. It's been a while since I've seen a Substitute Shinigami."

"Ex-Substitute Shinigami," Ichigo muttered, remembering the fight from last night. He'd been completely defenceless against Kuchiki. He hadn't even had time to blink and the guy had knocked him down. If the guy wasn't Shinigami he'd be sure that the guy was a vampire. According to one of Akira's books they could move _very_ fast!

"Not quite Kurosaki-Kun!" Urahara said cheerfully. "When Kuchiki-Taicho beat you he basically removed Rukia's powers from you."

"And?" Ichigo demanded.

"Aaaannndddddd," Urahara said, stretching the word out and grinning. "You've still got your own power in there, all we need to do is release it!"

Okay, this was news to Ichigo, or maybe it wasn't. Hadn't Rukia said that she's felt strong spiritual pressure from him and Akira? If her powers were taken then it made sense that he'd still have his own didn't it? He frowned in thought.

"Alright," he said finally. "Let's say that you're right about that. How do I get my powers back?"

A decidedly evil glint entered Urahara's eyes and Ichigo got the feeling that he'd suddenly signed his own death warrant.

'This,' he silently thought. 'Cannot end well.'

From somewhere deep inside of himself he felt something, another presence. It felt….amused? What the hell? Where did that come from? He pushed it aside for now, concentrating on the guy in front of him.

"Now," Urahara continued. "Here's the deal. I'll help you get into the Soul Society so you can rescue Rukia-san. In exchange I expect you to train under me for the next twenty days."

"Twenty days!" Ichigo exploded. "Why that long? Rukia's in danger!"

"Not for a while," Urahara said in a placating way. "It is customary in the Seireitei to wait thirty days. Then they'll execute her."

"Thanks," Ichigo muttered, glaring at the too cheerful man. "That makes me feel _so_ much more at ease." He had to admit silently to himself though that he was glad that he'd have the chance to train and get his strength back. He'd need it if he wanted to kick that bastard's ass. The next time he saw Kuchiki the guy was gunna pay for what he did, to both Ichigo and Rukia.

Akira…..

"Where is Akira?" Ichigo demanded, trying to push back the blanket covering him.

"Right now he should be training," Urahara said offhandedly.

"With who?" Ichigo asked hotly.

"An old friend of mine," Urahara replied vaguely. "Don't worry; she'll whip him into shape. Now, rest up. We begin your training soon and I won't accept any excuses!"

-o0o-

Akira groaned as he rolled over. It had taken them _ages_ to finally reach the training spot. It was a clearing deep in the woods with a small lake with a stream that fed it coming from the north. Akira had thought about making a joke about cats and water but then reconsidered. It probably wasn't good for his survival. He'd spent the night sleeping under the stars in a warm sleeping bag. He had to admit that he'd enjoyed it. It had been a while since he'd been out in the middle of nature and it felt nice.

"Good, you're awake," came a voice from behind. Akira turned over his sleeping bag to see Yoruichi sitting a few feet away. "First we eat, then we train."

Akira nodded before climbing out of the sleeping bag and stretching. One thing was for sure, next time he was going to cast a cushioning charm on the ground. He _did not_ enjoy the feeling of small stones digging into his back as he tried to get to sleep thank you very much! The soft grass made up for it but still…..

They ate their meal in silence, not really needing to speak. Afterwards the black cat perched itself in front of Akira, sitting on a tree stump and staring at the human seriously.

"Alright," Yoruichi began. "Before we start do you have any more questions?"

Akira nodded, he'd thought about it a lot last night and there were a few things that didn't make sense to him, like the fact that both he and Ichigo had become Shinigami. How had that happened exactly? Oh sure, he knew that he'd get powers once Ichigo stabbed him but if Ichigo had passed the powers on then how had he still been able to become a Shinigami. He voiced this question to Yoruichi.

"It was your magic," was the simple reply.

"Mind explaining a bit further?" Akira asked dryly.

"I'm no expert," Yoruichi admitted. "But I do have a theory. When the foreign Reiatsu entered your body it awakened your reiatsu fully. It had already been partially awakened when you were younger during the attack by Voldemort but adding Rukia-san's reiatsu freed it completely. Now, you have to take your magic into consideration here. When the foreign reiatsu entered your body your magic saw it as a threat. It wasn't intended that way but as your body wasn't used to it and didn't recognise it your magic automatically assumed that it was dangerous so expelled it back into Ichigo. Thankfully Rukia-san's reiatsu remained in you long enough to awaken your own abilities."

Akira thought about that. It did make sense. All his teachers agreed on one thing in regards to magic, it was a sentient being and completely self reliant. If it did not recognise something then it would respond accordingly depending on the situation. When the reiatsu was transferred to him Akira had been seriously hurt so his magic had repelled it. That was one of the reasons that most witches and wizards hated having to go to a healer, their magic automatically refused the idea as it wanted to take care of itself. On the other hand most healers just thought that their patients were being stubborn but that's a story for another time.

"Okay, next question. How can you talk when you're in animagus form? And why haven't you turned back yet? When I sensed your magic there was something….different about it. I don't know what it is but there was something different. I mean, if it was like mine then I'd be able to tell but it wasn't. It felt….confined?" He wasn't sure if that was the right word for it.

"Well," Yoruichi replied. "That is a bit of a long story."

"We have a bit of time," Akira pointed out. Yoruichi sighed. He was right and it would probably help him trust her more if she told him a bit about herself and Kisuke. She decided not to tell him about being exiled from the Seireitei, at least not yet. That part could wait until later.

"When Kisuke, Tessai and I first relocated to the human world we didn't stay in one place. None of us had really spent much time in the human world except for missions and most of those had been a long time ago so, naturally, we were curious so we moved around a lot. Shinigami's life spans are a lot longer than that of a human. It has been roughly a hundred years since we first relocated here and none of us look like we've aged a day." She gave him time to absorb this piece of information before continuing. "It was during a trip to England that we first found out about the Wizarding world." Akira interrupted her then, a confused look on his face.

"You mean, you didn't already know about it?" Okay, now he was officially confused.

"That's right," Yoruichi continued. "At first we were surprised, who wouldn't be? Then we started to explore it a bit. During the time we were there they were in the middle of a war. Ironically it was going on about the same time as the mundane World War II." Akira snorted at the use of the word 'mundane'. He preferred using that term instead of 'Muggle' which sounds a bit insulting but using that particular word in the same sentence of World War II…..yeah, it didn't really seem appropriate. He tuned back into Yoruichi as the black cat continued to speak.

"Now, what you need to understand is that I was the only one that could see the entrance to Diagon Alley at first. Kisuke and Tessai thought I was seeing things until I lead them into the place. I think it was called the Leaky Cauldron. Anyway, from there Kisuke couldn't be dragged away from the Wizarding world for at least a decade. He found it fascinating and he spent a lot of time studying it and its traditions." Akira snorted. Trust them to end up in England. It was practically the only country in the world that still used quills and parchment, almost everyone else had moved on. "Anyway, while we were there it was quite obvious that I had magic. The problem was that I had learned about it too late. You've probably been told this already but I'll explain it anyway. When you are younger you're magic is bursting out of your core, trying to find a release. That's why so many kids have incidents of 'accidental magic'. It is their own bodies trying to expel the magic so that it doesn't overload. Well, the problem was that my magic hadn't been used. Because of that I couldn't learn magic, not in the traditional sense anyway. When I was younger strange things used to happen to me. Occasionally I remember things coming to me when I wanted them and couldn't reach. My family just ignored it or thought it was the product of my reiatsu. Other incidents, such as me turning my father's hair bright blue, were dismissed as pranks." Akira had to chuckle at that. Spells to change the colour of people and objects were some of the simplest spells. They made for good pranks. Then something occurred to him.

"But?" he asked, confused as hell. "You're an animagus!"

"Exactly. That's how I found an outlet for my magic. You see, the 'veins' of magic in my body had become accustomed to not being used and it was a real challenge to actually force them open enough so that I could use the magic and even when I got it out I couldn't use it that often. Since it had gone unused for so long it could only really do simple things. When you're younger you're advised to take a lot of subjects. This is for a reason. When you're younger your core is able to adapt do different magics and different uses for it. Because I had found out about my core so late I couldn't branch out and I could really only learn one or two branches of magic. I chose the branch that I thought would be most useful and I became what the magical community call an Animagus. I can't cast spells, my core just isn't able to handle it but I'm happy with the way it turned out."

"How can you talk though?" Akira asked. That was the one thing he still didn't get. He'd analyze Yoruichi's explanation later; his head was hurting slightly from all the information the cat had given him.

"Oh, that's easy!" Yoruichi said casually. "When people transform into their animagus form they learn by turning different parts of their bodies into the animal separately right?" Akira nodded so Yoruichi continued. "Well, in a way I did the opposite. Once I'd been able to become a cat and turn back successfully I started to experiment, turning certain parts of my cat body back into human parts. Then I had the idea of transforming my vocal cords. I'll admit that I didn't think that it would work but it did. I'm able to alter my voice thanks to this little trick. It takes a lot of patience to learn though. The first few times I tried I ended up with a human head on a cats' body!" Akira stared at Yoruichi. The cat had altered its vocal cords? That was genius! He was _so_ going to try that when he became an animagus! He'd need to be careful though. The thought of a human head on an animals body was just….creepy. He had to admit that it would make a good prank though, the other way around of course. He'd once thought about pranking Ichigo by giving the orangette tiger ears and a tale along with a nose and whiskers to match. Ichigo had caught him at it though so he didn't. It was no fun if the person you were going to prank knew it was coming after all. That took half the fun out of it!

"Now, is that everything?" Upon receiving a nod from Akira Yoruichi continued. "Right, the first thing we're going to do is figure out the name of your Zanpakto. You'll need to meditate to do this. Try and concentrate on reaching your mindscape. It won't be easy, last time your Zanpakto took you there. You need to learn to do it yourself. Just sit back, relax and try not to force it too much, that is counterproductive. Don't be surprised if you don't get it right away. Most don't"

Akira nodded before standing and brushing some lose grass off his clothes. He hadn't taken much with him, just a few sets of clothes. He figured that he could always just use a cleaning spell on them, or conjure some more if he really needed to. If they were going to be training with swords he was probably going to lose some garments after all. He walked over and sat down at the base of a large tree, the roots spreading out like reaching fingers. Akira ran his hand over one of the roots, marvelling at the thickness of the wood. The tree must be hundreds of years old. Above him a bird chirped merrily. Akira was amazed that it hadn't taken flight at the sight of Yoruichi but then put the little creature out of his mind. He needed to focus. It was time to find his Zanpakto.

-o0o-

Ichigo growled in frustration. He'd been trying for days to climb out of this damned pit and he still hadn't managed it. He could feel himself becoming weaker due to lack of food or water. It didn't help that that damned red head kid was taunting him from the rim of the pit.

"I dare you to come down here and repeat that!" Ichigo hissed up at the kid after a particularly vicious insult.

"I'd love to!" the kid sneered back. "But unlike _some _people I've got more important stuff to do."

"Little brat," Ichigo muttered. He winced as his soul chain continued to encroach on itself. Damn it! If he didn't hurry up he'd become a hollow. He couldn't let that happen. He still had to protect Akira. He still needed to rescue Rukia. There was no way he'd be able to do that as a hollow. Judging by what happened with Inoue and her brother he'd probably go after Akira and the rest of his family. He wouldn't do that, he wouldn't allow himself to do that. He'd rather die then hurt his family.

A few metres away from the pit Urahara was sitting on a rock watching the events unfold. Ichigo had been in the pit for almost three full days. Not much longer now. He'd either get his powers back or he'd become a hollow. He hoped that it was the former and not the latter. He didn't want to have to kill the orangette.

Just then Ichigo let out a scream.

Down in the pit the soul chain had encroached further and the pain was tearing through every cell in his spiritual body. Ichigo's body convulsed on the floor of the pit as wave after wave of pain assaulted him. He had to push it away, had to concentrate. He could do this! He had to.

Another wave of pain forced its way into his body and he closed his eyes, fighting to stay awake. He couldn't sleep! If he did then he'd wake up a hollow. He wouldn't allow that to happen. Unfortunately his body wasn't listening to his mind and soon blackness claimed him.

The next thing Ichigo knew was that he was standing and there was no pain. Curiosity getting the better of him he opened his eyes and looked around him. He was standing on the roof of a building. Or at least that's what he thought. In reality he was standing on top of a building that had been turned on its side. The building was made of some blue material and as he stared around he realised that he was surrounded by these buildings. He looked down and noticed that he was standing on one of the windows which were tinged a darker blue then the walls. He looked up into the sky. A pale crescent moon hung in the midnight sky and stars winked down at him. Where was he?

"Ichigo," came a voice from behind him. Ichigo turned quickly and stared at the figure before him. Before him stood a man perched on a flag pole. The man was garbed in black and the long coat he wore flapped in a non-existent breeze. The mans hair was a dark blown and floated around him while his eyes were covered by dark glasses preventing Ichigo from reading them.

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded.

"My name is….."

Ichigo waited to hear the name but nothing came out. All he could hear was a light breeze whispering between the side-ways buildings.

"Can you repeat that?" he asked after a moment. "I didn't hear you."

"Then you are not ready to hear my name," was the simple answer.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ichigo demanded hotly.

"It means what it means," was the simple reply. Ichigo's eye twitched.

Just then the buildings around him, including the one he was standing on, shook violently. Ichigo stumbled and the man stared at him although Ichigo wasn't quite sure of the expression. He couldn't see the mans eyes after all.

"Your mind is beginning to fall apart," the guy commented, almost offhandedly. "You need to find your power lest you succumb to the hollow."

"Well how exactly do I do that?" was the reply. "In case you haven't noticed I don't have any access to powers right now!"

Just then the buildings shuddered again and Ichigo scrambled for something to hold onto. Unfortunately for him there was not anything to hold onto.

Just then everything seemed to shift. The buildings, which had previously been on their sides, shifted so that they were the right way up. Unfortunately for Ichigo this meant that he was not standing in thin air which, unfortunately for him, meant that he began to fall. Ichigo looked around him desperately, trying to find something to grab onto, something to stop is fall. There was nothing. From above something white caught his eye. He looked up and saw many small boxes falling towards him.

What the hell?

"Find me and pull me out of the box Ichigo," came the mysterious voice from beside him. Ichigo's head whipped to his right to see the strange man falling with him. The man seemed completely at lease with the situation so, naturally, that pissed Ichigo off.

"What the hell do you mean by that old man?" he demanded.

"Find your power and pull it from the box," Old Man replied. "Find it and your powers shall be restored to you. If you do not you will become a hollow. It is as simple as that."

'Well,' Ichigo silently thought. 'Thanks _so_ much for the help old man.' Ichigo looked around him at the thousands of floating boxes. He didn't have time to open and search them all. Damn it! There had to be a way of finding the power quicker. He had a feeling that he was running out of time. The buildings around him shuddered again and he cursed. If wouldn't be long before they collapsed on him, crushing him completely.

"Okay," he muttered to himself. "Think, what was that thing Ishida said?" Ichigo went through his memories of the Quincy. Disregarding most of it as useless shit that the Quincy had prattled on about. Then, after he'd thought it was hopeless he remembered. According to Ishida he'd known that Ichigo was a Shinigami because of the colour of his spirit ribbon. According to Ishida Shinigami spirit ribbons were red while normal human energy was red. That was how he'd find it!

Ichigo concentrated, trying to put everything else to the back of his mind. He needed to focus, needed to find the red spirit ribbon.

All around him the boxes fell only now they carried strands of what looked like white energy with them. Ichigo looked around him, desperate to find a red strand amidst all the white. It had to be here somewhere; all he had to do was find it.

There!

A few feet away from him, just down a little, he spotted a box with a red ribbon trailing from it like the tail of a kite. Ichigo made a grab for it and caught the box in his arms. He ripped off the lid of the box to see the hilt of a sword.

"Now!" came the old man's voice. "Pull me out! Quickly Ichigo! The hollowfication is almost complete! There is not much time! Pull Me Out!"

Ichigo didn't need to be told twice. He reached into the box with his right hand, wrapped his fingers around the hilt and _pulled!_

-o0o-

Urahara stared at the being before him. Ichigo was clothed in a Shihakusho but a hollow mask had formed over his face. He was fighting and fighting hard.

'Could he be turning into…..? ?'

Urahara's thoughts were cut off when suddenly Ichigo reached up and pulled viciously at the mask, trying desperately to remove the bone white substance from his face.

'Come on Ichigo,' Urahara silently thought. 'You can do it. If you don't I won't be the one to tell your brother.' Images of what the raven haired teenager could do to him played out in Urahara's mind and he shivered involuntarily. No, he definitely wouldn't be the one to break the news to Akira if Ichigo didn't make it. He rather liked his body the way it was thank you very much and even though Yoruichi had a little magic he doubted that she'd be able to reverse whatever Akira did to him. The kid had so much power it was scary, not unlike Ichigo. Speaking of the orangette….

With a final heave Ichigo ripped the mask from his face brutally, the bone splintering into tiny fragments that seemed to evaporate into the air. Ichigo stood there, panting and sweating.

'That,' Urahara mused. 'Must've been tough.' He clapped, a smile plastered across his face as he stared at Ichigo. Good, he'd made it. That was good for two reasons. One, he'd still have his student to train and (hopefully) retrieve the Hogyoku and also he wouldn't have to risk life and limb to inform Akira of the hollowfication of his brother. He wasn't sure which he was happier about.

Ichigo flared at him, still out of breath. His skin was slightly paler then usual and his brown eyes seemed more golden then before as he stared at Urahara. He was definitely going to get the shop keeper back for that, he was sure of it!

"Right!" Urahara said cheerfully. "Now onto stage three! Time for a spar. The rules are simple. You need to knock my hat off my head. No time limit."

Ichigo smirked at him after that last statement. After all that he was itching for a fight. He was still drained slightly. Pulling a hollow's mask off your face will do that to a person after all. Despite that he was still looking forward to a fight. He needed to let off some steam and this was going to be a good way to do it.

"Forget about the no time limit shit," Ichigo said confidently. "I'll manage that it five minutes."

"Alright then," Urahara said, not batting an eyelash. "Five minutes." From his cane Urahara suddenly pulled a sword. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at that. How'd the guy managed that? Shrugging it off Ichigo prepared himself. "Now," Urahara continued. "Begin!"

-o0o-

Akira woke from his trance in a bad mood. He hadn't found his mindscape yet. He knew that Yoruichi had told him that it would take a while but he was still frustrated. For the last three days he'd been trying to reach that place in his mind but it wouldn't come! Every time he felt like he was getting close something would stop him, some barrier would prevent him from reaching where he wanted, no _needed_ to go.

'I wonder if all Shinigami have this problem?' he silently thought.

Of course, if what Yoruichi said was true, then three days was probably nothing to them. It didn't stop him from being irritated by the whole situation though.

"You need to relax Kira-kun," came Yoruichi's soft voice. Akira turned to see Yoruichi in human form behind him.

Now, the first time he saw her transform back into a human was a rather….interesting experience to say the least. Akira didn't think he'd ever blushed so hard in his life. Yoruichi had smirked at him and Akira knew then that she hadn't warned him on purpose, wanting to see his expression.

"You know," she had commented. "I don't think I've seen that much blood rush to someone's face before. Usually the men just get nose bleeds."

"I'm no pervert," Akira had muttered in reply, lifting an arm and hiding his eyes in the crook of his elbow. He _really_ did not want to see anymore than he already had.

Yoruichi only made a 'hmmm' sound in response.

"Could you _please_ put some clothes on?" Akira begged her.

"Oh alright," Yoruichi sighed dramatically before making her way to a small wooden box beside the stream. Akira had asked her before what it was but she had only smirked at him. From the box she took out a set of clothes, her usual outfit, and dressed quickly.

"Alright," she tossed over her shoulder. "I'm decent. You can look now."

Akira removed his arm carefully and upon seeing that she was fully clothed gave a mighty sigh of relief.

"Better?" she asked teasingly.

"Much," was the simple answer. "Why don't you have anything on when you turn back?"

"Because of my core," Yoruichi replied. "Remember when I told you that my core just couldn't handle any other branches of magic?" Upon receiving a nod she continued. "Well, my magic isn't strong enough to allow me to take anything with me when I shape shift, That's why whenever I do return to human form I don't have anything with me. Kisuke's reaction to it was quite different from yours though"

Akira was still getting over that particular incident. He couldn't believe that she had done that to him! He remembered meeting Kisuke Urahara when he'd gone with Rukia to get the glove and he was pretty sure he could picture the man's reaction to a naked Yoruichi.

Akira turned his thoughts away from that particular memory, forcing the blush down. Even just thinking about it made him blush. He refocused on Yoruichi now. She was back in cat form and had taken up a position in front of him, sitting with her tail swaying behind her languidly.

"I'm trying," he groaned. "Every time I think I'm close it just…slips!"

"Cheer up Kira-kun!" she said easily. "You'll manage it. I'm sure of it." Akira scowled slightly at the nickname. She'd taken to calling him that after the first day, claiming that it suited him just as well as 'Akira' and besides, she liked it. Akira privately thought that she was just doing it to annoy him. When he'd told her this she'd only smirked which confirmed his suspicions.

"Try again, just one more time. After that we'll stop for the day. You're close though. I can feel it." She gave him an encouraging smile, or what he thought was the equivalent of it when she was in cat form. Akira sighed before leaning back against the tall tree and closing his eyes.

He slowed his breathing, forcing himself to relax. In…Out…In…Out…He kept it slow and easy, breathing gently in time with his heart as it beat rhythmically. He'd found that if he concentrated hard enough he could almost hear the blood being circulated through his body. When he was relaxed like this he could _feel_ the blood moving through him, spreading life through his body. It calmed him and gave him a sense of peace. He concentrated on that now, urging himself to fall deeper and deeper into the meditative trance. He could do this, he could concentrate.

He felt his body relaxing further, his mind opening up to the world around him. This was the stage he usually reached. It was at this point that he usually hit a brick wall. That wouldn't happen this time. He was determined to do it and nothing was going to stop him this time. He was calm, he was focused, and he would not be distracted this time.

Akira suddenly felt a strange pulling sensation. That was new. Where had it come from? The pulling became more insistent. He became more curious and followed the pull, allowing it to take him deeper and deeper into his own mind.

Suddenly with a jolt he opened his eyes. He wasn't in the clearing anymore. He was in that place again, that place from his dream. The strange trees with the flaming leaves were all around him again. Idly he wondered why he couldn't hear the crackling sound that usually accompanied fire. Maybe the shadows were smothering the sound? He looked around himself again, taking in the awesome beauty of the place. This was his mind? He had to say that he wasn't disappointed. He walked forward until he was out in the open on the cliff, staring out at the forest and the large tree, the largest tree in the whole forest, the tree that was so much bigger than the other trees that you could still see the trunk above the leaves of the other trees.

The sudden sound of the flapping of wings caught his attention. Akira looked upwards as a large shadow descended over him. Above him was a large black shape. It appeared to have four legs, two wings, a long tale and a massive head. Akira quickly scrambled back from the cliff to give the creature room. He knew instinctually that it would not hurt him, that this creature, whatever it was, was his Zanpakto spirit.

The creature came lower and lower until it finally touched down on the rocky ground of the cliff. Akira stared, mesmerized by the sight before him.

Standing not twenty feet away was the most beautiful dragon he had ever seen. The glistening scales shined in the half light and were the colour of ebony. That was not the only colour of scales the dragon had though. On it's stomach, chest, underside of the tale and up the front of the neck and underside of the chin the scales were a dark emerald green. The legs were sleek and looked powerful with compact muscles which looked like they were built for speed and not just strength. The tail whipped behind the dragon, reminding him a bit of Yoruichi when she was excited or angry. It swished back and forth almost hypnotically and Akira made out a small flame at the very tip of the tale, a little like that pokemon he used to love when he was little. What was its name? Oh yes, Charazard. It reminded him of a Charazard's flame only this flame was a dark emerald and black. The wings were huge even though they were folded over the dragon's back. They reminded him slightly of a griffin's or eagle's wings as they were feathered like a birds. Most dragons he'd seen before had bone and membrane wings but this one was different. The feathers glittered and Akira suddenly remembered what the old wand maker had said about the shadow fire dragons, that each feather was an individual flame. That was what it looked like to him as he stared at the wings. He dragged his attention away from the wings and studied the head of the dragon. It was regal, as most dragons were. Two slightly longer than normal canines protruded from between the dragon's mussel and pointed down. They looked to be about the size of an average kitchen knife but a lot sharper. They were the colour of polished steel. It was the eyes that truly held his attention though. They had slit pupils like a cat eyes, like Yoruichi's but they were a different colour. The eyes were the most enchanting silver that he had ever seen and as he stared into the eyes of the dragon it dipped its head, lowering itself so that the head was level with Akira's eyes.

"Hello young one." The voice seemed to echo around them. It was soft and lilting and Akira immediately noticed that it had a feminine quality.

"Are you, are you my Zanpakto?" Akira asked cautiously. Immediately afterwards he felt like slapping himself on the forehead. What a stupid question to ask! The dragon seemed to chuckle, the sound surrounding him. It was musical and gentle, definitely not what he was expecting from a dragon, even a female one.

"Yes young one," the dragon answered. "I am the spirit of your blade, your Zanpakto."

"Why do you call me young one?" Akira asked curiously. "I mean, if you're my Zanpakto then aren't you technically the same age as me?"

"I will explain it to you, some day," was her only response. "But that is not why you are here correct? You wish to learn my name yes?"

Akira nodded.

"Very well young one. My name is…."

Akira listened closely but he couldn't hear anything. Something was stopping him from hearing it. He looked at her, confusion written across his face. She sighed.

"I see you are not quite ready to hear my name yet. You are so close young one, so very close."

"What do I need to do?" Akira asked. "Please, if I'm not strong enough I can't help Rukia. It's partly my fault that she's in trouble. I can't just sit bye and watch her get killed because of me!"

"I understand young one," the dragon said, her voice full of understanding. "Like I said before, you are close. All you need to do is take that final step."

"What step?" Akira asked desperately. "Tell me! What do I need to do?"

Instead of answering him the dragon seemed to study him, taking in everything about him, contemplating something. Akira felt slightly unnerved. Those liquid silver eyes studied him intently. He resisted the urge to fidget, that wouldn't help. Finally the dragon shook her head.

"You must cast away your doubts," she said finally. Akira looked confused so she continued. "You doubt yourself, your judgement, your abilities do you not young one? You fear, if you are not strong enough, that everyone around you, especially your brother and your other family, shall be harmed. You blame yourself for things that you could not possibly control. Young one. To hear me you must cast aside these doubts, these fears. They control you and yet you do not realise it. You are stronger than this and it is time for you to realise your full potential."

Akira stared at her for a moment. Did he really doubt himself like that? He thought about it. He remembered how he had felt after being told about who he was, who his parents were, about the attack on their home when he was only a year old. He'd felt guilty, guilty that he had survived and yet his parents had died, guilty that it was his fault that his mother had stayed to protect him. He had nightmares of it, of her voice begging Voldemort to spare him, to take her instead. It hurt his chest every time he thought about it. Then there was the time that Masaki Kurosaki, his adoptive mother, had died. He'd been ashamed that he'd been too weak to go with Ichigo that day, ashamed that he hadn't been there to help protect his mother. He was scared, scared of losing Ichigo, scared of screwing up and getting someone killed. The dragon seemed to sense all this for she dipped her head and nuzzled him gently, her scales as smooth as polished glass. Absently Akira raised his hand and stroked her mussel. A deep, humming sound emitted from the dragon and it took a minute for Akira to realise that she was actually _purring!_

"Cast these feelings aside little one," she murmured. "None of that is your fault. Did you order the attack on your home? Did you ask for a hollow to attack your mother and brother? Can you make your brother's decisions for him? Can you control every possible outcome of a situation?" Akira shook his head, slightly dazed by her questions. "Then it is not your fault." She said this with such confidence, so sure in her decision.

Akira looked up at her, his eyes shining as he met her silvery gaze.

"I think I'm ready to hear it now," he whispered, his voice so quiet that he barely heard it. She seemed to though for she lifted her head and stared down at him, her eyes full of warmth as she stared at her wielder.

"I believe you are young one," she murmured. "Now, listen closely. Do not fear, do not retreat, do not waver in your judgement. You are wise young one, wise beyond your years and yet still so innocent and young at heart. You will go far young one and I will aid you. Listen and I shall grant you my power. My name is…"

-o0o-

Ichigo cursed as he dodged yet another attack by the crazy shop keeper. This was getting old fast. He quickly ducked behind a rock to avoid another attack.

"Damn it!" he cursed. There had to be a way to beat Urahara. He could to this. But what if he couldn't? What if he was too weak to face Urahara? What if he wasn't good enough and, when they did go to Soul Society, he got Akira killed? He couldn't handle that!

"_Why do you flea Ichigo?"_ The voice of his Zanpakto rung through his head, catching him off guard for a moment.

'Old man?' he silently questioned. The guy was technically in his head, there wasn't really a need to speak out loud.

"_Why do you flea?"_ The old man asked again, his voice deep and rumbling like rolling thunder.

'I'm not strong enough,' Ichigo thought back bitterly. He couldn't believe how easily Urahara was beating him. The shopkeeper was _playing_ with him! 'What if I lose?'

"_The answer is simple Ichigo,"_ was the reply. The old man's voice took on an edge, becoming sharper as he continued. _"__You still have not called me. Face forward, Ichigo. You should be able to hear it now. That which blocks your ears is worthless fear. The enemy is one, you are one. What is there to fear? Cast off your fear. Look forward! Go forward! Never stand still. Retreat and you will age. Hesitate and you will die. Shout…my name is…"_

-o0o-

At that moment two voices rang through the air, miles apart but still united. Reiatsu exploded into the air as the voices called in unison the names of their Zanpakto. The powerful explosion sent birds flying from their perches. All over Karakura spirits and hollows trembled under the force of the barrage of reiatsu. Even the humans who were not reiatsu sensitive felt a shiver as the wave of power passed over them. Two voices rang out through the spirit world as their power was released.

"_Zangetsu!"_

"_Hinotemaru!"_

-o0o-

**AN:** Well? What do you guys think of this chapter? That last bit by Zangetsu was actually a quote I took from Bleach, I don't own it but it was too good to pass up so I used it. I give full credit for it to Tite Kubo! I think it was okay but I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys think of it. Since the main characters are Ichigo and Harry/Akira I decided that I needed to have more Ichigo in here so I tried to be a bit more even when I split the chapter up to talk about them. Did it work? I changed his mindscape because I personally think that the mindscape is modelled after a person's experiences and feelings and things like that and the addition of Harry/Akira would have changed Ichigo's personality slightly and that is why it is night instead of day in his mind. Does that make sense?

There is something you should know. In this fic Ichigo is going to be a bit smarter than in Cannon. Sometimes during Cannon he really did act like an idiot. My reasoning for smartening him up a bit is that he has Akira to whip him into shape! That and I think that he genuinely is smarter then he is made out to be and having Akira around helps him to show it. He can't let his little brother show him up can he? –Grins-

I need to ask you guys something. Do I ramble too much? I'm worried about that. Do I drag things on too much?

**Translations**

**Zangetsu -** (cutting moon/Moon fang) I've heard him called both and I'm not sure which so I'll just put both for now.

**Hinotemaru** **-** (flame ring/blazing ring) I got the word Hinote from wikianswers or Yahooanswers, I can't remember which. It said that the translation for 'Hinote' was flame or blaze and I thought it was a good name. I was looking for different words for fire and Hinote just caught my eye and I couldn't get it out of my head so I used it. I think it turned out good. What do you guys think of it?

Was my explanation about Yoruichi okay? She isn't a full witch but she did have the potential to be a really powerful one if she'd been trained like Akira is training right now. So far Akira (and possibly someone else) is going to be the only full Shinigami with magical abilities. Because of the magic Akira is gunna be roughly on level with Ichigo when he goes hollow (or that's the theory once he learns to balance magic and reiatsu properly, otherwise he might end up blowing something (or himself) up.

Anyways, hope you liked it and See you guys next time!

Sayonara!

MG Mirani


	10. Chapter 10

fHiya guys! I can't believe all the positive responses I've gotten lately! You guys rock!

Poll results as follows

Hichi/Ichi (23)

Ichi/Ruki (11)

**Anon Review Replies**

**Phoenix Reaper** Thanks! I'm glad you liked it so much –snickers- I'm like that too when I found a good fanfic and thanks. –blushes- that was nice of you to say. I've added your vote, everyone deserves a say. Here's the update you wanted! –grins-

**Azteka**: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! Your vote has been added and thanks! Yup! You're completely right about the pairing for Kira-kun! Glad you enjoyed it and hope you like this update!

**IMPORTANT! Please Read!** Okay. A couple of people have pointed out to me that I said Akira's Zanpakuto was female and I ended the name in 'Maru' which is technically only used for guys names like Ichimaru, Hyourinmaru, Akamaru, Shikamaru and any others you can think of. I'd just like to point something out to you guys. Akira said that he THOUGHT the voice sounded female! That doesn't mean that Hinotemaru is definitely female. I am wavering between male and female right now and I actually LIKE the name so it will stay for the moment. Besides, later on Hinotemaru's name might change but I can't tell you why without spoilers and I'm not gunna do that so there! –sticks tongue out- For now just deal with the name Hinotemaru please and if you're that unhappy about it then feel free to leave if you want. I don't mind. If not the please enjoy the rest of this fanfic and thank you!

Anyways, I'll stop my rambling now and get onto what you've all been waiting for! Enjoy!

-o0o-

**Chapter 10**

-o0o-

As the smoke cleared Urahara got a good view of Ichigo and his newly unsealed Zanpakuto. The blade seemed bigger than before and was in the shape of a giant cleaver but without a squared off end. Instead it narrowed to a point with a silver edge running along the cutting side of the blade. There was no cross guard, only the handle. A long white cloth flowed from the end. It wound around Ichigo and seemed to hang in the air as if held there by an invisible wind. Ichigo raised his head and Urahara looked into the golden brown eyes.

"Urahara-sensei," Ichigo's voice was rough as he spoke. "You might wanna get out of the way now."

"Oh?" Urahara asked curiously. "And why is that Ichigo-kun?"

Ichigo twitched at being called 'Ichigo-kun' by Urahara. "Cuz I can't control this yet." With a mighty heave Ichigo swung his great cleaver towards Urahara. A crescent shaped blade of energy formed and sped towards Urahara, cutting through the air like a hot knife through butter. Urahara's eyes widened at the sight of the massive energy wave and he raised his own Zanpakuto. He wouldn't dodge. He used to be a captain. He could take this. Benihime sent a protest to him through their mental link and he sent a quick apology to her. Finally the wave dissipated and Urahara stared at Ichigo. He reached up to lower the brim of his hat and his hand grasped empty air. He turned and saw his beloved hat had sailed clean off his head and had landed a few feet away, a gash in the brim.

"Well," he said finally, staring at his poor hat. "You passed. Nice work Ichigo-kun although there was no need to take your frustration out on my poor hat." Urahara grinned before picking up his hat and settling it back on his head. He turned back to Ichigo and repressed a smile at the sight. Ichigo was exhausted. His body had slumped against his blade which he'd thrust into the ground. He'd been using it to support his weight. Now he was almost dead on his feet, his head slumped. He looked like he could fall asleep any moment now.

"Okay," Urahara said cheerfully. "I think we can stop for today. Get yourself upstairs Ichigo-kun and get something to eat and then bed. Tomorrow your real training begins. We're going to work on your stamina"

Ichigo internally groaned. He had a bad feeling about this, a _very_ bad feeling. Judging by the scared looks on Jinta and Ururu's faces he had a right to be scared.

-o0o-

Akira's eyes snapped open. He'd finally found out his Zanpakuto's name! He resisted the urge to jump in the air and cheer, barely.

"Well," came Yoruichi's voice from above him. "Seems like you've finally got it."

Akira looks up to see Yoruichi in her human form sitting in a branch with her legs dangling on either side. She was leaning against the trunk of the tree and looked completely relaxed. Her long purple hair whipped around her face as the wind blew strongly. Akira smiled up at her, his grin nearly splitting his face in half.

"Well," she said, jumping down in front of him. "Let's get onto the next part of the training, controlling your Zanpakuto's power." She'd landed in a crouch and now straightened, brushing strands of hair away from her face. She gestured for him to stand and he obeyed immediately. He was eager to get started. He'd actually still been in his body when he'd been in the meditation trance and now Yoruichi tossed him the green glove. "Get out of your body and follow me."

Akira immediately used the glove to rid himself of his body and quickly made his way after Yoruichi who had taken off east. She was running lightly and Akira had to work slightly harder than he would have liked to keep up with her. 'Damn Dursleys, damn genetics, damn short legs,' he internally muttered. He felt a flare of amusement from within his mind and immediately knew that Hinotemaru was the source. 'It's not that funny,' he thought back to her, somehow knowing that she'd hear him. He didn't get an answer but the amused feeling intensified slightly. Akira growled silently under his breath. Did everyone have to find it funny that he was so short? Even his Zanpakuto found it funny! What higher being had he pissed off to deserve this?

Finally Yoruichi stopped running and Akira caught up to her, panting and glaring at her. She just smirked at him.

"Let's begin," she said. "Draw your Zanpakuto now Akira. Try and release it. The first time is always the hardest to control. After that it becomes a lot easier." Akira nodded eagerly. He couldn't wait to see what his new weapon would look like. He felt Hinotemaru's excitement through their new link, mirroring his. She obviously couldn't wait for this either.

He drew the simple blade from its sheath and stood with his feet apart, bracing himself in case the backlash from the release caught him off guard. He took a deep breath before calling out the release phrase Hinotemaru had given him.

"_Kurai Tochi O Shihai Suru! Hinotemaru!"_ (Rule over the darkened lands! Hinotemaru!)

Immediately shadows seeped from the surrounding area and seemed to encircle Akira and his blade. Yoruichi stared as the shadows swirled around Akira, completely blocking him from view. She felt a sudden surge of reiatsu which signalled that he'd finally achieved his release his Shikai. The shadows around Akira were slowly sucked towards where Yoruichi guessed the blade was. Then she was confused, the shadows were going towards two separate points? What was going on? Finally she could see and she stared.

Akira's Zanpakuto had split into two separate blades, each the size of a dagger. The blades were polished silver and gleamed as light reflected off their surface. Where the blade met the handle a dragon's head was placed so that each blade looked like it extended from the dragon's mouth. The head of the dragon was a deep onyx with hints of emerald green. They eyes were the same polished silver as the blade and they sparkled as if they really belonged to a creature. Around the hilt was wrapped a green and a black ribbon. They crisscrossed, a bit like Toshiro Hitsugaya's handle but one ribbon was black and one green. They were also a lot smaller than the tiny Taicho's blade but it did not matter. Yoruichi knew that these blades were equally dangerous. At the end of the handle, the end without the blade, a silver crescent moon was placed with a small green and black flame design seeming to hold it in place. All in all the weapons were beautiful. Yoruichi longed to run her hand over the edge of one of the daggers, wanted to see how sharp they really were. Akira was staring down at his new weapons, an expression of complete and total awe crossing his young face. Were these really his?

Yoruichi shook herself out of her daze. She needed to get a grip. Akira had achieved Shikai but now it was up to her to teach him how to handle the power and how to control those attacks. Achieving Shikai would do him no good if he couldn't use if effectively in battle. Many Shinigami who could not handle their Zanpakuto were killed early in their career and devoured by hollows. She was determined not to let anything of the sort happen to her newest pupil. She clapped her hands, drawing Akira's attention away from his blades and back to her. She smirked at the dazed look on his face.

"Let's get to work!" she said. She pointed to the left. Akira turned and saw many wooden targets set up, each one spaced about ten feet apart. They were in a wide open field area surrounded by trees so there was plenty of room. Akira idly wondered if this place was used by anyone then he put that thought out of his mind. He had other things to think about.

"Now," Yoruichi explained. "We're going to practice your attacks, aim and stamina for the next few days. I want you to have decent control over your abilities before you head into the Seireitei. No pupil of mine is going in there half-assed. Now, focus on your reiatsu and aim at the first target. Let your Zanpakuto guide you."

Akira nodded before focusing on the first target, narrowing his eyes. It was about the size of an average person with rings carved into it and a large green dot where the 'bulls' eye' was apparently located. There were also green spots on the head and…other places. Akira took a deep breath before looking down at his daggers. They glinted in the light. He instinctually knew what to do. He raised them in front of him and made an 'X' shape with the blades. He let Hinotemaru guide him and he channelled Reiatsu into the blades. The silver began to glow a shade of emerald green and onyx flames licked around the edges. Akira pushed forwards and as he did so he uncrossed the blades and called out the name that flitted through his consciousness.

"_Shadowed Slash!"_

-o0o-

Urahara sat his cup down on the table before him and stared at his student. Ichigo was progressing well, exceptionally well in fact. In truth Urahara hadn't expected the substitute Shinigami to be so resourceful and capable in battle.

Right now they were sitting in the back room of his shop around the small wooden table. They were all there, himself, Ichigo, Jinta, Ururu and even Tessai. Ichigo was rubbing his eyes which were slightly bloodshot due to all the training he had been doing. While his body may be resting while he was out of it his soul did not have as much time to recharge. Because of this Urahara had called the training session short for today and instructed Ichigo to get a full night's sleep. Ichigo had protested at this of course, insisting that he could keep going just like any other day. Urahara had been firm though, pointing out that Ichigo wouldn't improve if he was too tired to even register an attack coming his way. Ichigo had grumbled but finally agreed to Urahara's order.

That is how Urahara found himself sitting around the table with the other occupants of the shop. It was almost time to send Ichigo to bed. Urahara resisted smirking at the thought. If he didn't know any better he'd say that he was beginning to treat Ichigo like he would his own son, if he had one that is. Ichigo may not be his but Urahara had to admit that he had definitely grown slightly closer to the orangette during their training. Ichigo was stubborn, sometimes loud mouthed and impatient but under all that he was one of the bravest and most self sacrificing people Urahara had ever met.

There was no doubt whatsoever in Urahara's mind that Ichigo would do what he set out to do, rescue Rukia. Not to mention his little brother Akira. Urahara certainly wouldn't want to be the one going up against those two when they were pissed. He may have been thought of as mad by many but that didn't mean he was willing to risk himself against both of them. Ichigo on his own he could handle (for now) but with Akira joining in….no thank you. According to Yoruichi the little firecracker was coming along nicely in his training. He had achieved his Shikai and was doing well in controlling the techniques he'd learned.

There was a slight problem though. Whenever Akira released his Shikai he was unable to access his magic. Urahara theorised that it was due to the overwhelming nature of Akira's reiatsu. Akira's magic could not handle the added pressure when the Shikai was released. Once his Zanpakuto was sealed again then Akira was able to use his magic freely. This could be a dangerous weakness if it were exploited by a foe that knew of magic. Akira would have to be careful.

Urahara turned his attention back to the room, noticing that Ichigo and Jinta had managed to get into yet another argument. He didn't bother to listen to what they were arguing about, those two could argue about anything. Usually it was the red head that started it but sometimes Ichigo's rebukes could be just as childish and immature. It was quite refreshing sometimes, just listening to their banter reminded him of when he was still a Taicho in the soul society and his younger squad members would fight.

He frowned as he remembered who had replaced him, Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Ever since he'd met the man Urahara had distrusted him. Actually he wasn't even sure if Kurotsuchi could be classed as a man anymore considering all the experiments he'd put himself through. He inwardly shuddered as he remembered the last time he'd seen the man's face. It had been a mixture of black and white with sickly glowing yellow eyes. He felt nothing but pity for the poor Lieutenant, Nemu Kurotsuchi. He had created her and, if the reports he'd been getting were accurate, Kurotsuchi treated the girl like little more than a tool to be used and thrown aside.

Now, many did not like Urahara for his experiments but he had his limits, he had his morals and he stuck to them. Kurotsuchi on the other hand was a completely different thing. Any sense of honour or mercy had been eradicated from the man and what morals he did have were twisted into a mere parody of what they should be. Judging by what Kurotsuchi had done to the Quincy population Urahara could only assume that it was getting worse. How long would it be before he began experimenting on his own kind? Cutting them open, ripping apart their Zanpakuto just to see how they worked. He shuddered at the thought.

What would he do if the bastard got his hands on Ichigo or Akira? Urahara knew the answer. He'd dissect them, experiment on them and by the time he was done they would be completely unrecognisable as human beings. The thought made him sick to his stomach. He wouldn't allow that to happen he vowed silently to himself. He knew that Akira was in good hands with Yoruichi. He would train Ichigo harder. He would not let the orangette fail for if he did then his fate was either death or dissection. He would not let that happen.

Tomorrow he would take the training up a notch, force Ichigo to focus more and get his reiatsu more under control. By the time he was through Ichigo would be on par with at least a low level captain, at least in terms of Shikai. He only hoped that it would be enough.

-o0o-

"That's enough for today!" Yoruichi called. Akira breathed a sigh of relief and released his reiatsu allowing Hinotemaru to return to her sealed form. He quickly sheathed his blade and sat down by the big tree, groaning as his muscles protested at the movement. He'd been working his ass off for the last eight days, honing his abilities with his Shikai and magic. It had frustrated him to no end when he had learned that when he released Hinotemaru he was unable to use his magic. He could feel it under his skin, pulsing slightly like his heartbeat as he fought to get free. His reiatsu was too strong however and just pushed it back. He would need to work exceptionally hard to even accomplish the simplest levitation charm, if he could do even that! It was so frustrating! Yoruichi had comforted him though; saying that when she used her own Zanpakuto when it was released then she was unable to turn into her feline form. This had comforted him slightly but not much. He would need to use one or the other in battle but not both. That could cause serious problems later on if he wasn't careful. During a battle he could slip up and try and cast a spell only for it not to work. If that happened he had no doubt that he would be in deep shit.

"You're doing well," Yoruichi said, sitting beside him in her human form. She stretched, mimicking her feline form as her arms rose above her head and her mouth stretched into a contented yawn. Akira stretched his own arms and winced as he heard a 'crack' sound. Clearly his bones did not appreciate that at all. Yoruichi grinned at him, her teeth glistening.

"Tired?" she enquired.

"Yeah," Akira muttered, grinning back at her. "You're a slave driver."

"I'll take that as a compliment," she said cheerily. She looked up at the setting sun, seeming to be deep in thought for a few minutes. Akira didn't interrupt her. He was too busy staring at the sunset himself. The sky was a wash with blues, reds, oranges, yellows and violets as the sun descended below the horizon, signalling yet another end to another day. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. They weren't that far away from the city but the air here was so much cleaner, so much nicer. He loved it here. After this whole thing was over he was sure that he'd come back here, even if it was just for a weekend or even just an afternoon. It was so peaceful. It was like the outside world didn't exist when he was here. It was just him, Yoruichi and the natural world all around them.

'Ichigo would love it here,' he idly thought, running his fingers through the soft grass beside him. Yoruichi turned to face him suddenly and Akira could see that she'd come to some sort of decision. A fire blazed in her golden eyes and Akira could tell that she was excited about something. If she'd been in cat form he was sure that her tale would have been swishing back and forth.

"Tomorrow we'll be starting work on your animagus training," she said firmly, her eyes sparkling as she stared at him. Akira's mouth opened and his eyes widened. Was she serious? They were going to start….

"Is there enough time?" he asked. It took ages to complete the process! Hell, the shortest someone had managed to achieve it was roughly a month and he had just over a week! How was he supposed to learn to transform into whatever he was in just a week" He voiced this to Yoruichi and she only grinned at him.

"Don't worry Kira-kun," she said brightly. "You'll get it, I'm sure of it. Tonight before you go to sleep you'll take the animagus revealing potion and tomorrow we'll start work on your transformation. Besides, don't you want to become an animagus?"

"Of course I do!" Akira said hotly.

"Then there's no problem is there?" Yoruichi said, smirking as a knowing look crossed Akira's face. She'd backed him into a corner and he knew it. Grumbling to himself he nodded. Although just _how_ he was going to manage this was frankly beyond his comprehension. Oh well, he'd cross that bridge when he got to it. For now he let his excitement about what he could be surface. He'd thought about this for months, wondering just what animal he would become. He couldn't believe he was thinking this but he couldn't wait to go to sleep tonight.

They ate a meal in relative silence, the occasional comment passing between them as they ate. It was comfortable and Akira enjoyed it, just being surrounded by all the plants and animals seemed to help. Finally the moon was beginning to rise and Akira decided that it was time for him to head to bed.

"Alright," Yoruichi said, handing him a small vial with a potion inside. The potion was a dark violet in colour and when Akira tilted the bottle slightly, checking the consistency of the potion, he found that it was runny but not too runny as to be unusable. If potions were the wrong consistency then they sometimes produced results that were…not desirable to put it bluntly. He vaguely remembered some of the horror stories he'd heard about people and their potions but put that to the back of his mind. He refocused on what Yoruichi was telling him, giving her his full attention. "When you go to sleep tonight you'll enter your inner world, the place you met your Zanpakuto. From there you'll need to 'find' your form. Sometimes it happens quickly and other times it can take a while. You won't wake up until you find your form but while your mind is busy your body will be resting so you should be fully ready and capable to start training tomorrow morning. Any questions before you take this?"

"Yeah," Akira said, looking at the vial carefully. "How bad does it taste?"

Yoruichi smirked but didn't answer the question. This, naturally, encouraged Akira to believe that it tasted absolutely vile. He settled himself down on his makeshift bed below the canopy of leaves, unscrewed the top of the vile and tossed it back in one go. He was right, the stuff tasted absolutely _disgusting!_

Grimacing at the taste Akira lay back, closed his eyes and willed sleep to take him, eager to re-enter the strange, half lit world of his mind.

Dimly he could hear Yoruichi wishing him a good night's sleep, the clearly amused tone in her voice told him that she had clearly seen his expression. He tossed a glare in her general direction but couldn't be bothered to actually open his eyes, his eyelids were too heavy. He felt himself being pulled down into the darkness of sleep and smiled to himself. Not long now. Soon he would know what he was, which animal he was. Soon all those thoughts drifted from his mind and then he was gone, his heavy breathing indicating that he'd fallen asleep.

Yoruichi shook her head before walking over and pulling the covers over his body. Tonight was going to be chilly and she wasn't about to let him catch his death of cold because he'd forgotten to keep himself warm. She shook her head before returning to cat form and jumping up into the nearest tree. Akira wasn't the only charge she'd been training after all.

-o0o-

Akira blinked and looked around him. Sure enough he was greeted with the sight of the half light and strangely burn but not burning trees. He looked around him but there was neither hide nor hair of any other living creature, not even Hinotemaru. He idly wondered if Zanpakuto slept. I mean, what else did they do until their wielder awakened them? It was an interesting thought. Maybe he'd ask Hinotemaru some time.

Seeing that nothing was about to happen he decided to start exploring. This was his inner world after all so he might as well get to know it a little better. So far the only place he'd seen was the cliff area that he always appeared on. It would probably be a good idea to look around, maybe find where Hinotemaru spent her time. He was pretty sure that it was somewhere around that huge tree. It looked like it would be the only place big enough to actually support her enormous form.

Akira found a path that wound down the side of the cliff and began the journey. The rocks were firm under his feet and as he studied them he noticed something that he hadn't before. Going through some of the rocks were veins of what looked like silver metal. He stopped and inspected them a little more closely. They reminded him slightly of the metal of his daggers when Hinotemaru was in Shikai although they were not quite so polished. He'd ask Hinotemaru about it, she'd been living in his inner world for years after all. She probably knew more about it than she did.

He finally reached the forest floor. The grass felt soft under his feet as he stepped from the hard stone path. He smiled at the feel of it before continui9ng, making his way deeper into the forest of fire trees.

He didn't know how long he walked; it could have been a minute or hours. He didn't care. He was too caught up in the beauty of his inner world. Occasionally he would stop to run his hands over the ebony wood of the trees, his fingers running over the ridges of the tough bark.

Finally he came to a stop in a large clearing. The clearing was roughly thirty feet across in every direction and to the right there was a small hollow filled with crystalline water. He moved over to it and peered down into the depths of the pool. The water was a silvery colour and reflected the light of the burning leaves slightly, giving it a strange, mystical effect. He stared down at himself but the image was slightly distorted. Almost hesitantly he reached down and touched the silver substance.

Immediately he was assaulted with a memory, a time when he was eight and he and Ichigo had been practicing their fighting. Ichigo had sweep kicked him and he'd dodged just that little bit too late and fallen on his ass. They'd laughed it off and continued practicing. He quickly withdrew his hand from the pool. 'Okay,' he thought 'That was weird.' Coming to a split decision he stuck his hand in again. This time another memory flashed through his mind. It was of him when he was still at the Dursleys, in that hellish cupboard under the stairs. He drew his hand out quickly, not wishing to see any more of that memory.

"_I see you have found it,"_ came a voice from behind him. Akira whirled around to see Hinotemaru standing behind him, her wings slightly unfurled. He hadn't even heard her land. How could a creature that big be so silent?

"Found what exactly?" he asked her.

"_Your memories,"_ she answered. "_Every inner world is different but they all have one thing in common, they all have a collective area where the memories are stored. In your case it is in that pool there."_ Hinotemaru tilted her head and pointed her snout at the shimmering water. Now that Akira thought about it the water did remind him of what memories looked like when they were placed in a pensive.

"Are they all the same?" he asked curiously. He may have come here to search out his animagus form but that did not mean that he wouldn't take this chance to learn something new, it was usually worth the effort as even a seemingly insignificant piece of knowledge could be useful under the right circumstances.

"_No," _was the simply reply. _"Every inner world is unique thus every collective point in that world is unique. For example your point is a pool while someone else, someone whose mind is maybe in the format of an undersea area, could bee a cavern of some sort. The possibilities are virtually limitless really. But that is not the reason you are here correct? You wish to find your animal spirit do you not?"_ Akira nodded so she continued. "_Very well. Continue on this path and soon you will find what you seek."_ With that Hinotemaru gave a great flap of her wings and took off smoothly, her body moving gracefully through the air as she made a half turn and flew off in the opposite direction, heading towards the great tree.

Akira stared after her for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and making his way in the direction she had indicated. The grass crunched slightly under his feet as he stepped on it but apart from that all was silent around him. There wasn't even the usual crackling sound one would expect to hear when surrounded by fire. He closed his eyes as he walked, concentrating on the sound. Maybe he'd hear his animal if he listened hard enough. After a few minutes of nothing but silence he gave up, opened his eyes and continued. How long had he been here anyway?

Soon, thankfully, he came across another clearing where he decided to rest. He wasn't tired but he figured that here was a good a place as any to stop. It was smaller than the other clearing, just over half the size with no memory pool. He sat in the middle of the clearing and crossed his legs, tilting his head up to look at the sky. It hadn't changed at all since he'd been here. Do inner world skies every change?

Just then he heard a rustling sound coming from his left. He turned his head sharply and stared between two large tree trunks. Something was staring out at him from the shadows. It was a very large something with green eyes almost identical to his own, just more slanted and larger. He kept contact with the thing. This must be his form, whatever it was. Slowly the thing began to inch towards him, placing one paw into the clearing. Akira stared as a large black furred paw entered the clearing. So far that and they eyes were the only part of the creature he could see in the shadows. Slowly the other paw joined its twin and the creature took a few tentative steps into the clearing. Akira gasped as the full creature was revealed to him.

There, standing before him was a large obsidian wolf. Light reflected against its glossy black fur and the eyes sparkled as they stared unblinkingly at him. They were slightly slanted like those of a cat but the pupils were not slit like Yoruichi's. The wolf kept contact with is eyes, its tale raised, ears pricked and hackles raised. The wolf opened its mouth and Akira got a glimpse of liquid silver teeth. A low growl escaped from the great jaws and Akira fought not to retreat. He knew what the wolf spirit was doing; it was testing him, showing its dominance. He, Akira, had to assert his own dominance or else the wolf would never listen to him, never accept him as a part of it and Akira would not be able to accept the wolf as a part of him. Slowly, ever so slowly, Akira got to his feet, still staring at the wolf. He bared his own teeth in an attempt to match the wolf's posture. He had no tale to raise but that didn't matter in this situation. It was all about body language and intent. A growl escaped his lips as he stared at the wolf, not as deep as his wolf counterpart but still recognisable as a growl none the less.

The wolf stared him down for a while longer, seeming to weigh him up before the tale drooped, the hackles lowered and the ears relaxed. Akira breathed out a sigh of relief. It looked like he'd managed to get the wolf's approval. Akira stepped forward, closer to the wolf. He gingerly stretched out a hand and ran his fingers through the fur on the wolf's head. The wolf tensed for a moment before relaxing and butting his head into Akira's hand. Akira laughed at the puppyish reaction and, on the spur of the moment, scratched behind one of the furry ears. Akira laughed as the wolf gave the canine equivalent of a purr. This seemed to relax the wolf further. It gave a sort of wolf grin before barking happily. Akira watched amused as the wolf began to bounded around the clearing, the tale wagging enthusiastically. The wolf was definitely reminding him of a puppy now. An image passed through his mind, one of a great black dog with silver eyes acting similarly. He pushed that thought out of his mind as focussed on the wolf. It was still running and jumping around the clearing, barking and playing. Akira joined in and the pair ended up tumbling together on the floor, Akira laughing and the wolf making happy yipping noises.

Soon Akira began to tire. The wolf seemed to sense this for it stopped and nudged him with his noise. Akira laughed as the hairs on the wolf's muzzle tickled his face. The wolf stepped away from him and stood, waiting for something. Akira stood up, dusting himself off. The wolf barked at him again before it hunkered down. Akira stared at it for a moment, wondering what it was doing. The wolf barked again, turning its head to look at its back. Akira got the message. The wolf wanted him to ride on its back. The wolf was certainly big enough to support his weight. Shrugging his shoulders Akira walked over to the wolf and carefully climbed onto its back. Once he was settled he squeezed his legs around the wolf's stomach, silently signalling that he was ready. He idly wondered how fast the wolf could go when there were so many trees to weave in and out of.

He got his answer pretty quickly.

Instead of taking off into the trees the wolf just stood there, silently, seeming to concentrate on something. Just when Akira thought the wolf wasn't going to do anything it exploded into action. Akira gasped as he looked down to see that the wolf's paws had been engulfed in emerald green fire. The wolf turned its head to stare at him and seemed almost to smirk before giving a tremendous leap into the air. Akira threw himself forward and wound his arms around the great wolf's neck, holding on tight. The wolf barked at him, as if saying not to worry. Akira wasn't sure if he was translating properly though, he didn't speak wolf after all. He stared down at the wolf's paws, determined to find out if his eyes were playing tricks on him. They were not.

The wolf's paws were completely covered in emerald green flames and as the wolf moved through the air Akira realised that the wolf wasn't 'flying' so to speak. Instead the wolf was simply 'running' on air. It must have something to do with the flames for the wolf had no wings, no other indication of how it could fly. The wolf barked again and Akira took his attention off of the fire coated feet and looked around him. They were high above the canopy of fiery leaves and they were heading towards the cliff. Akira stared around him at the birds' eye view he was getting. If he turned into this form…he'd be the one running like this, he'd be the one in the sky. The thought was intoxicating.

When it became apparent that the wolf had no intention of dropping him Akira let go of his death grip on the poor Wolf's neck and raised his hands above his head. He gave a whoop of excitement as the wolf sped up, running quickly through the air. Akira heard a roar from behind him and twisted to see Hinotemaru behind them, her wings flapping as she sailed towards them. Akira grinned as she caught up to them. Together they swooped and ran through the sky, an aerial dance that only they knew. Akira closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the wind rushing past his face. He felt so free up here.

"_Enjoying yourself young one?"_ she asked, amusement clearly colouring her tone. _"It appears that flight agrees with you."_

Akira didn't have time to respond for at that moment the wolf decided that it wanted to have a little 'fun' with it's passenger. The wolf gave a single bark of warning before tilting its body and running almost vertically towards the ground. Akira gave a shout of surprise and resumed his death grip around the wolf's neck, curses falling from his lips as he tried desperately to hold on. At the very last second the wolf pulled up and ran back up, thankfully at a less stoop angle. Akira gasped, trying to get his breath back. He glared at the back of the head of the wolf.

"Give a guy a little more warning next time would you?" he muttered to the wolf. It only gave a playful growl in return and Akira couldn't resist rolling his eyes. Trust his animal spirit to have a sense of humour.

Pretty soon the ride was over and they were landing on the familiar cliff. Hinotemaru landed by them, her wings folding neatly behind her as she steadied herself.

"That was amazing!" Akira exclaimed, still on a bit of a high. Adrenaline was still pounding through his system. He felt great, more alive then he had been in ages. He couldn't remember a time when he'd felt so exhilarated!

"_And soon it will be you running through the skies Young one,"_ Hinotemaru pointed out. _"It is very fitting that this is your form."_

"Oh? And why is that?" Akira asked curiously. Hinotemaru seemed like she was about to answer before she stopped, tilting her head to the side.

"_It seems I do not have time to answer your questions today Young One. You're body is about to wake you. Fear not, we will talk again soon."_

Before Akira could say anything he felt himself being pulled away from the cliff, away from his animal spirit and Zanpakuto, away from the forest. They faded around him into inky blackness.

The next thing he knew he was opening his eyes to a sun dappled clearing at Dawn. A huge grin split his face.

He did it.

_He did it!_

Akira leapt out of his bed whooping at his success. His eyes were bright as they stared around him. He couldn't wait to start practice! The thought of the wolf and running through the air made him giddy with excitement. He could feel it bubbling up from within him and spilling over. He could feel amusement in the back of his mind and guessed that it was Hinotemaru. He silently gave the mental equivalent of sticking his tongue out at the dragon. He vaguely heard a snorting sound but he couldn't be sure. Besides, he was too excited to care right now.

Now all he had to do was start training.

-o0o-

About an hour later Yoruichi returned to the clearing. She hadn't been there when Akira woke up and he asked her about it.

"I just had something to take care of," she said offhandedly. "Now tell me already! What were you?" Akira could tell that she was eager to find out what he was.

"Honestly I'm not completely sure," he admitted.

"Why is that?" she asked curiously.

"Well," he said slowly, deciding to choose his words carefully. "Yoruichi, have you ever heard of a wolf that could run through air? Not a flying wolf." He said quickly when he saw her open her mouth to answer. "It, it made fire come out of its paws and it ran through the air _on_ the fire! How is that possible?"

Yoruichi stared at him, not understanding what he was saying until the last part reached her. Her eyes widened as she stared at him and he was pretty sure that if it hadn't been Yoruichi in front of him then she'd be gaping like a fish.

"It ran, ran on flames?" she asked. Her voice was slow, like she was testing each word before she spoke. Akira nodded, a look of confusion on his face as he stared at her. "And you really have no idea what kind of creature it is?" Akira shook his head. Yoruichi closed her eyes and took in a lungful of air.

'Well,' she thought. 'This was unexpected.'

"Your animagus form is a magical creature correct?" she asked.

"Yes," Akira said. "How could it run on fire if it wasn't?"

'Good point,' Yoruichi silently commented.

"Do you know how many people in history have been given the opportunity to transform into a magical creature?"

Akira shook his head.

"In the last two thousand years," she said softly. "A grand total of eight have been able to transform into magical beings. Including you, that makes nine."

Akira stared at her uncomprehendingly for a moment, his ears refusing to let his brain know what Yoruichi had just said. Finally the signals were relayed to him and he proceeded to gape like a fish.

"You can't be serious!" He denied immediately. "There's more than that!"

"There could be, unregistered of course," Yoruichi admitted. "_But_ it is very rare."

"That still doesn't explain _what_ exactly it is though!" Akira said, determined to forget about that fact for now and concentrate on what he was actually going to turn into.

"They're very rare," Yoruichi told him. "And becoming fewer in number every day. They are hunted by many as they are thought to be 'dark' and dangerous. The last sighting of one of those was seen roughly 76 years ago. They've learned to keep to themselves and avoid humans altogether."

"But what _is_ it?" Akira was becoming impatient now and Yoruichi knew it. She smirked at her student, her teeth flashing in the sun as she stared at him steadily.

"Alright," she almost purred. "Your animagus form is an _Abyssusincendia Umbra_, otherwise known as the hellfire's shadow"

-o0o-

Ichigo stared out the window of one of the back rooms of Urahara's shop. Tomorrow it would be time to head to the Soul Society. Tomorrow they would be going to rescue Rukia. He'd originally wanted to go by himself but then when he'd found out that Akira was training as well he'd realised that there was no way he'd be able to leave his little brother behind, no matter how much he wished he could.

He was no fool, he knew that Akira was very capable of looking after himself and he was a good fighter but that didn't stop Ichigo worrying. That was what big brothers were for after all.

The stars blinked down at him lazily and Ichigo stared up at the solemnly.

'Let's just hope this ends well,' he silently thought. He felt a vague wave of annoyance from somewhere within the back of his mind and guessed that it was Zangetsu silently berating him for doubting himself. He'd learnt a lot from the dark Zanpakuto, he would not run anymore. He'd fight. If his friends and family were in danger he would protect them. If they were under attack he would not let them die. If he was fighting an opponent he would give it everything he had until he was either dead or his opponent was defeated. It was a promise he had made to the sword spirit and to himself.

From the door of the room Urahara watched Ichigo closely. The teenager had been quiet for most of the day and Urahara had to admit that it was slightly disconcerting. Ichigo was usually so loud but today…he just seemed like a ghost, no pun intended. Urahara could see that over the last few weeks Ichigo had matured somewhat. Before he'd just been a loud, brash teenager with a big sword and a lot of attitude. Now however he'd refined some of those qualities somewhat and he'd grown stronger because of it. He was still brash and hot headed, that was something that couldn't be cured in a few weeks, but he'd definitely tempered it and now Urahara could see that Ichigo was now a young adult, now a child, not a teenager but a young adult. He was glad that he'd been able to assist in this change of Ichigo's. He knew that tomorrow, when the orangette stepped through the gate to Soul Society with his brother that the pair would come back. He knew it. He wasn't sure exactly _how_ he knew this with such certainty but he knew it none the less. Whether they could actually come back without any serious injuries he couldn't be sure but he knew that they'd be okay. He just hoped that they didn't run into Sosuke Aizen. Only Kami knew how much trouble they could be in if that happened.

-o0o-

Akira looked around the small clearing for the last time. He'd done it. He'd completed his training with Yoruichi and now it was time to meet up with Ichigo to go to Soul Society. Yoruichi had disappeared late last night before he'd gone to sleep, saying that she had something else to do before they set off. He wasn't sure what it was but she'd definitely had a mischievous glint in her golden eyes when she'd said it and that was enough to put him on high alert. You never knew what to expect for Yoruichi Shihouin, never in a thousand years.

He packed up the rest of his things slowly, determined to remain in the quiet place as long as he could. He could have just used his wand to clear everything away and get ready but he chose not to. There were two reasons for this. The first was mentioned already: he wanted to stay in this peaceful place for as long as he possibly could. The second reason was that he did not want to become totally reliant on his magic like some magical folk did. Magic was a blessing, something to be treasured and respected. Some people used their magic for everything and he really meant everything. He'd heard about one family that couldn't even get by without using magic for more than five minutes! He was determined not to become like that.

Finally everything was packed up and ready to go. He sighed and hoisted his backpack over his shoulders. It was time to go. Casting a fond look around him he transformed into his animagus form. He'd done it. It had taken all his concentration and will power but he had finally done it. He couldn't transform his vocal cords like Yoruichi could but she'd told him that it had taken her months to learn how to achieve that so he wasn't all that worried that he wasn't able to do it straight away. He remembered some of his…accidents and internally shuddered. He could now say, with complete certainty, that having human arms with wolf legs and a tale with a half muzzle _was not_ something he wished to repeat.

He still couldn't believe that he'd managed to master the transformation in such a short period of time. It was incredible. He didn't plan on using the fire running ability yet. It was just before dawn right now and he didn't want to risk anyone seeing him, even if he was in the middle of a forested area. He'd run to the edge of the trees before transforming back and walking the rest of the way to Urahara's shop.

With quick steps on light feet Akira made his way into the forest and out of the clearing.

-o0o-

Ichigo was doing some last minute training down in the strange room under Urahara's shop. He wasn't doing too much today since they were leaving for the Soul Society in a few hours. Urahara was setting up the gate along with Tessai so he was at the other end of the room just doing his own thing until it was time.

He idly wondered what Akira had done while he was training and if he'd reached Shikai. He was pretty sure that he had, Akira was very strong after all. He couldn't wait to see how much his Otouto had achieved. He swung Zangetsu downward quickly, slicking through a rock in his path. He'd gotten much better at using the blade although he still couldn't control the attack. It annoyed him as he'd have to rely solely on his fighting abilities but in a way he was grateful for that. He didn't want to rely on the energy wave in battle. It wouldn't be him fighting, it would be Zangetsu and that felt wrong to him. If they were both going to fight then they'd fight together. He felt something at the back of his mind and he knew that Zangetsu had agreed with him. He still couldn't talk to the old man while he wasn't in his inner world but Urahara had told him that that was normal until the Shinigami was able to control their powers better and actually use the Zanpakuto to the best of its abilities. It would definitely be strange to have the old man's voice in his head though. He wasn't sure if he was actually looking forward to that little perk.

Putting that out of his mind for now he continued to train, focussing on that, not thinking about what lay ahead of him and Akira. He'd have more than enough time to think about that when he was in the Soul Society anyway.

-o0o-

Akira approached the shop cautiously. He knew that Ichigo was in there and he was eager to see him but he was being careful about it. Yoruichi had told him all about Urahara and his occasionally 'warped' sense of humour and Akira wouldn't put it past the man to plant something for him to 'accidentally' run into.

Thankfully his worries were not necessary and he entered the building without any problems. Ururu was sitting on a stool behind the counter, obviously waiting for him to arrive.

"Hello Akira-san," she said in that quiet voice of hers. "They're downstairs now. Do you want to go down there?" Akira nodded and Ururu hopped off the stool to show him the way down. Akira's eyebrow raised as the trap door was revealed to him and he slowly climbed down the ladder.

'Damn,' was his only thought as he caught sight of the massive underground space. 'How the hell did he manage to make it look like it was outside?'

"Akira-kun!" came an overly cheerful voice from behind him. Once he'd reached the ground Akira turned to see Kisuke Urahara grinning at him. Or that's the expression Akira thought was behind that annoying fan. It was quite hard to tell with Urahara what his expression was because of that damned fan. He had to rely on the tone most of the time, that and the eyes when they weren't shaded by that awful striped hat.

"Nice to see you again Urahara-san," Akira said respectfully. He held out a hand for Urahara to shake and the shop keeper too it immediately in a firm grip. "How's the gate coming?"

"Done!" Urahara said brightly. "Just waiting for Yoruichi and her group to join us."

"Her group?" Akira asked, confusion clearly colouring his tone. Was she training someone else while she was training him? How'd she done that?

"Yup!" Urahara said cheerily. "I believe it was Inoue-san and Sado-san. We're also expecting the Quincy, Ishida-san to appear soon as well."

Akira couldn't help but groan at the mention of Inoue and Ishida. Great, just what they needed. He could understand Chad coming, he could be quite useful and Ishida may be a pain in the ass but he at least had a half decent amount of power and that could be useful. What could Inoue possibly do to help? This was going to be one big headache, he could just tell.

"Akira!" came a voice from the other side of the room. Akira turned his head and grinned as he saw Ichigo walking towards them. He was in his Shinigami get up and Akira noticed that there was something on his back, something much larger then the last time he'd seen it. Soon Ichigo had reached them and was looking Akira up and down, most likely checking for injuries.

"Chill Ichigo!" Akira said exasperatedly. "I'm fine!"

Ichigo only grunted in response, satisfied for now that Akira was okay.

"So, how's training gone?" Akira asked. He was genuinely curious about what Ichigo had been doing.

"I reached Shikai," Ichigo replied, gesturing to the bundle on his back. "This is Zangetsu."

"Same here," Akira said brightly. "You'll see Hinotemaru in action when we go to Soul Society."

"Can't wait to see it," Ichigo replied, smiling faintly.

"Speaking of," Urahara said. "I think it's about time that you stepped out of your body, wouldn't you agree Akira-kun?"

Akira nodded but before he could take out the glove Urahara had knocked him over the head with his cane. Akira was immediately expelled from his body as it fell to the ground. Akira reached up and rubbed his head, glaring daggers at Urahara who only grinned at him cheerfully.

"What was that for baka!" He demanded hotly.

"It was fun." Was Urahara's quick response. "And it was faster."

Akira grumbled under his breath, muttering threats and curses that should not be mentioned in polite conversation. Ichigo visibly winced at some of them and Urahara was moderately grateful that he was _just_ out of earshot so wasn't privy to what Akira was saying. He found that to be a very good thing indeed.

"So what else did you do during training?" Ichigo asked curiously. Akira grinned at this. He couldn't wait to show Ichigo his animagus form.

"Watch this." Akira stepped away from Ichigo and Urahara, making sure that he gave himself plenty of space. Taking a deep breath he allowed his magic to flow through him, silently giving it the commands that were needed to transform.

With his newly sensitized ears Akira picked up the slight intakes of breath by both males. He smirked inwardly. Time for some fun. He bounded over to Ichigo and stood on two legs while he placed his paws on Ichigo's shoulders. His weight nearly sent Ichigo crashing to the ground but to his credit he managed to remain standing. Akira barked happily before opening his mouth and proceeding to lick Ichigo square in the face. When he returned to all fours Ichigo spluttered indignantly at him while Urahara started to chuckle.

'Oh no,' Akira silently thought 'You aren't getting away with hitting me with that stick!' Akira growled in Urahara's direction and that shut him up quite quickly. Urahara watched the wolf cautiously, wondering what Akira was planning. He found out soon enough as the wolf leapt at him. Urahara didn't have time to react as Akira came towards him. Urahara raised his cane but Akira was prepared for that. He dodged it and quickly grabbed Urahara's fan out of the other hand. Landing quickly Akira sped off to the right, determined to hold onto the fan. He heard Urahara shout something at him but he ignored the shop keeper and continued running until he found a large rock formation.

Perfect

He quickly hid the fan in between two boulders before turning to look back at Ichigo and Urahara. Ichigo was clearly smirking at Urahara who was running straight at him. Akira barked at him before running off in another direction. He wasn't gong to make finding the fan easy. He ran around a few dozen rock formations in the room before making his way back to Ichigo. Urahara would have to search all of them if he wanted his precious fan back. He stopped by the orangette's side. His tale was wagging furiously and Ichigo grinned down at him. Ichigo reached up and scratched behind an ear and Akira barked happily, butting his head into Ichigo's hand, silently urging the teen to continue. Ichigo chuckled at this but did as requested.

Akira lowered himself into a sitting position as Ichigo scratched behind his ears and relaxed as he watched Urahara search the boulders determined to find his fan. Akira allowed the wolf equivalent of a smirk to pass across his furry face. He only wished he had a camera here to show Yoruichi when he next saw her. She would most definitely approve of this. She found the fan annoying and she'd find this little stunt of his absolutely hilarious!

"Thanks," Ichigo told him. Akira looked up at him in confusion so Ichigo explained. "He enjoyed hitting me with that damn fan and cane _way _too often."

Akira's only answer was a growl that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

-o0o-

**AN:** Just so you know I got the translation for the release command of Hinotemaru from the google translator so if it isn't accurate then blame the damn site! I can barely find a half decent translation online so I'm making due with what I have. The same goes for the species of Akira's animagus form. If the Latin translation is wrong then blame the bloody site! I take no responsibility for crappy translations! I'm gunna use English for the attacks cuz it gives me more flexibility to do what I want with them so sorry if this annoys anyone. As usual if anyone spots something I've missed then feel free to message me and I'll try and go back and fix it if I can. Any mistakes after this are due to the spell checker. (THANK RA I'VE GOT ONE NOW! –does happy dance) Thanks guys!

What did you guys think about the little morsel of info I gave about Yoruichi? Did anyone pick it up? Have any of you figured out how she managed to train both Akira and Chad and Inoue at the same time? Let me know if you have and I'll tell ya if you were right or not. Kudos to anyone that figures it out!

Sorry there wasn't as much Ichi in this chapter as I would have liked but I don't now what the hell went on during his training so I just left it up to you guys to decide, ditto for Akira's training.

**IMPORTANT!** The updates will probably slow slightly. For one I'm back at school so I won't have much time until the end of June, then I'll be on holiday for the next six weeks roughly so that should help. The next part of the fic is going to be tricky so if you guys spot anything feel free to let me know. I'm going into uncharted waters here. I don't think there's been a HP fic where he's gone to the soul society with Ichi-chan so wish me luck!

What do you guys think of his animagus form? It took me a while to come up with the idea but I am SO happy with how it turned out! I don't think anyone's used a wolf quite like that, at least not with the fire feet anyways. A friend of mine on this site, Psychotic7796 knew about this form that I'd been planning to use and she kindly asked a friend to draw it for me. Thanks go out to Psychotic7796 and also to Chupathingy-1! You'r rock! And the pic was absolutely fantastic! Way better then anything I could've done.

Here's the link for the pic! Check out the rest of the pics that Chupathingy-1 has done! They're really good! There's an awesome one of Toshiro there as well as Kuya-kun! –squeals- it's awesome!

http:/chupathingy-1(dot)deviantart(dot)com/gallery/#/d2j7ayp

www. Chupathingy-1(dot)deviantart(dot)com/gallery/#/d2i7ayp

Hopefully it'll work. There are two links there so hopefully one of them will show up (I hope). Tell me if they don't. If tha'ts the case then just look for the artist and find the pic through the gallery.

Anyways, reviews are more than welcome and see you guys next time!

MG Mirani


	11. Chapter 11

Hiya guys! How's it goin'? –does happy dance- I'm officially on Holiday! No more school for the next five weeks! WOOHOO! I'm free to work on my fanfiction! I don't know what I'd do without it! I need my daily dose of fanfiction or I start to exhibit withdrawal symptoms and trust me! That is NEVER a pretty sight to see, especially in the morning, that makes it a helluva lot worse! Okay, I'll skip the chit chat and get onto the REAL reason why you're here!

Poll results

Hichi/Ichi (26)

Ichi/Ruki (17)

Looks like Ichi/Ruki is catching up a bit. Anyone who hasn't cast a vote you'd better get your opinions in. Looks like it could be getting closer.

**Anon Review Replies**

**Hi: (I'll just answer all of um at once)** Thank you! I'm glad you liked the story and my writing style. Hopefully you enjoy this next chapter as much! Hmm…I hadn't thought of that actually but that could work…I don't know. He'll probably be out of Azkaban by the time Akira actually meets anyone from Hogwarts but maybe not, we'll need to wait and see.–grins- better not hear Rukia call her cute, she might just blow a gasket!Thanks! I'm glad you thought my idea was so original. –grins- I thought it worked and everyone seems to agree so that's good.

Right, now that that's out of the way here's the chapter! Before any of you mention it Yes! I know the chapter is way shorter than the last ones but I wanted to post something and I'd rather keep the whole of the next part together so just deal with it for now okay? Get it? Got it? Good! I hat a shit load of writer's block to deal with in this chapter so I'm personally surprised that it reached this length! It was a bitch to write! Excuse my language but I'm just stating a fact. Hope you enjoy it anywaysf and congratulations to everyone who guessed right about Yoruichi! Very good deductive skills!

-o0o-

**Chapter 11**

-o0o-

Five minutes later Urahara was still searching for his fan and Akira and Ichigo were leaning back against a near by rock watching him amusedly. Akira had reverted back to human form and was staring down at his sealed Zanpakuto. It felt strange to him to see Hinotemaru as one blade; he'd gotten so used to having two daggers in his hands over the last few weeks. In retrospect that was probably a bad idea. He could be in a battle situation and not have time to say the release command, then where would he be if he couldn't fight with one blade? He'd be up to his eyeballs in shit, that's where he'd be and he'd rather avoid that if he could. He silently resolved to get some more training in with Hinotemaru when in her sealed state. He looked over at Ichigo to see him staring down at the cloth wrapped Zangetsu. Akira still wasn't sure how Ichigo managed to lift the blade, let alone fight with it! It had to weigh more than he did! He knew he wasn't weak and it had taken both hands to lift the massive sword off the ground and yet Ichigo managed to wield it with both hands almost effortlessly. One thing was for sure, if he couldn't cut with it then it was heavy enough to use as some sort of bludgeoning weapon. At some point it would be nice to fight Ichigo in Shikai. It would be good to see how their different styles and blades faired against each other. It would only do them good to fight with different opponents after all. No one was going to fight completely the same in the Soul Society so it was probably best to prepare for as many different case scenarios as possible right?

Just then there was a noise from above. Akira jumped to his feet and took on a defensive stance immediately, all too familiar with Yoruichi's surprise attack training. This instinct had saved him many times from the feline's training. He thanked Kami silently that he'd been a quick learner and had adapted so quickly.

The trap door leading to the shop was thrust aside and Akira looked up into the faces of Chad, Inoue, Ishida and Yoruichi, the latter in her feline form. By now Ichigo had stood as well and has hoisted Zangetsu over his shoulders one handed in one of his favourite positions. Akira silently wondered why the big sword didn't hurt Ichigo's back.

"Hello down there!" Inoue's bright voice greeted them enthusiastically. She was the first to descend the rope ladder and Akira groaned. Just great. Next came Chad and Akira wasn't completely sure that the ladder would hold the large teens' weight. His fears were groundless though as Chad reached the floor without any problems. With Tessai around then the ladder would have to be strong. The man was bigger than Chad and that was no easy feet. Third came Ishida and Akira resisted the urge to growl at the Quincy. 'Even better!' he thought sarcastically. 'This is all we need!' Finally Yoruichi made her way down into the underground room. Akira noticed something around Yoruichi's neck. It was a small silvery object suspended on a thin silver chain. As he stared at the object his eyes widened as comprehension dawned.

She'd used a time turner to train all of them at the same time.

Genius!

He took his eyes away from the time turner and raised an eyebrow as he saw the small package Yoruichi was carrying. It was being held in place by some string that had been tied around her stomach so that the package sat on her back comfortably.

"Hello Kira-kun," Yoruichi said; her male sounding voice in place. Akira resisted the urge to laugh. Damn these guys would get a shock when they found out what she really was. He hoped that he'd get to see their reactions, especially Ichigo's and Ishida's. That would be priceless! He doubted that Chad would have much of a reaction; the guy hardly reacted to anything.

Ichigo, predictably, stared at Yoruichi as if she'd grown a second head. His mouth hung open slightly as he stared at her. Yoruichi noticed and let her cat smirk pass across her furred features.

"You'll catch flies if your jaw keeps hanging like that you know," she said, her voice teasing. Ichigo shot his mouth with an audible 'click' and Akira snickered at him. Ichigo glared at his younger brother before looking at Yoruichi again.

"A talking cat," he said; his voice slightly flat.

"Yes," Yoruichi answered. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yoruichi and I have been teaching Akira-kun, Inoue-san and Sado-san how to control their abilities before we enter Soul Society."

"You were trained…by a talking cat," Ichigo said, clearly still dazed. Akira gave his brother an exasperated look.

"Yes Ichigo," he said sarcastically. "A talking cat. Do you want to say it again with me? Talk-ing cat. It isn't that hard you know." He sounded out each syllable of the word 'talking', clear amusement dancing in his eyes.

Ichigo glared at Akira, annoyed by his brother's sarcasm. Ishida had begun to smirk in Ichigo's direction but a quick glare from Akira stopped him from making any comment. Chad looked the same as ever while Inoue giggled childishly. Akira didn't even bother to look in her direction. It was then that he actually took note of what the Quincy was wearing and snorted back a laugh at the white and blue outfit. Ishida looked ridiculous. Said Quincy glared at him snidely.

"What are you laughing at Shinigami?" Ishida hissed. Akira wasn't remotely affected.

"Your outfit for one thing," Akira replied mildly. "Seriously! What the hell is it supposed to be?"

"I'll have you know that this is traditional outfit warn by Quincy during battle!" Ishida said indignantly. "I made it myself."

"That explains it then!" Akira said, smirking at him.

"Explains what?" Ishida demanded hotly.

"Why it sucks so bad," Ichigo answered. The two brothers looked at each other and smirked. Ishida glared at them both before turning his head away in disgust. Chad remained unresponsive while Inoue looked between the three worriedly. Akira paid them no more heed and turned back to face Yoruichi, a curious glint in his eyes.

"What's that Yoruichi?" Akira asked curiously. He pointed to the package strapped to her back. Yoruichi immediately turned to face him and Akira could see the mischievous light in those golden eyes.

'Uh oh,' he thought silently. 'What's she planning?'

"This is for you Kira-kun," she replied, walking closer to him. He bent and carefully removed the package and string from her back. The package was wrapped in light blue paper and he raised an eyebrow. Was it safe to open it? Shrugging he stood up and carefully unwrapped the small package. He was greeted with the sight of an unmarked white box. Sighing he took a deep breath and opened the box.

Reaching in Akira pulled out a strand of material. It was black but seemed to shimmer slightly in the light and Akira thought he could pick up flecks of silver and dark green mixed in with the inky darkness. At each end there was a silver clasp like thing that was clearly meant to keep the cloth together. It felt soft against his skin and he ran his fingers over it gently. Raising his eyebrows he stared down at it. Attached to the band of material was a small diamond shaped silver plate. He lifted it to eye level, staring intently at it. There, inlaid into the silver in a flowing script, was a single English word.

'_Shadow'._

He looked at Yoruichi with confusion. What was this for exactly? He looked from her to the material and back again before his eyes caught the chain around her neck and he understood. She'd given him a collar. His eyes twitched slightly as he stared down at her. She had a very self satisfied look on her feline features.

"It's for when you shift," she explained, her voice light and cheerful. "Don't worry about it fading with everything else. It'll resize itself to fit you. I had a contact of mine make it for you, he seemed quite happy about it actually, said it was something different and he enjoyed the challenge."

"Why exactly did you get me this?" He asked carefully. Yoruichi could, at times, have a strange sense of humour, stranger than his if it were possible. "Not that I don't like it," He added hastily. He did like it. The material was soft to the touch and he liked the silver diamond, much better than Gold. Silver suited him much better; it was cooler and paler and seemed to fit his personality. He turned the tag over, examining the other side. He wouldn't put it past Yoruichi to write something on the other side, something embarrassing. Thankfully it was clear except for an upside down triquetra. He silently sighed with relief. He wouldn't put it past her to write something like 'If found please return to the Urahara Shop' or something like that.

"Well," Ichigo prompted. "Aren't you going to try it on?"

Akira nodded absently before dropping the box he'd been holding to the ground and taking the collar in both hands. He grasped the ends and carefully positioned it around his neck before clipping it shut. The material felt soft around his neck and the silver of the dog tag was positioned comfortably. He couldn't help but silently consider the engraved word. 'Shadow', very appropriate.

Just then Urahara came over to join them. Akira was satisfied to note that the fan wasn't in Urahara's hand. He hadn't found it yet. He allowed himself to smirk at Urahara who glared back at him. He reached into his pocket to grab his fan on instinct but it wasn't there. His glare only intensified. He wanted his fan and he wanted it _now!_

Yoruichi noticed the absence of the fan and looked at Akira questioningly. 'Was it really that obvious?' he silently asked himself. He shrugged at the cat before jerking his hand discretely towards a rock formation a good distance away, the same rock formation where he'd hid the fan. She got the message and bared her teeth in that cat smirk she so loved to wear. She approved. Akira was pretty sure that there wasn't a person alive (or dead) that didn't think that fan was annoying. He'd probably done them all a favour by hiding it from the shopkeeper. With any luck it would take him a long time to find it in this huge room.

"Can we get on with this already?" Ishida's voice cut through his good mood and Akira turned to glare at the Quincy, daring him to say anything else. Kami! If he had to listen to that idiot all through their trip then he wasn't sure that he wouldn't offer Ishida in Rukia's place! He'd probably be doing them all a favour! Ishida, wisely, shut up.

"The gate is ready," Urahara informed them, his voice slightly subdued due to the lack of his fan. He'd get Akira back for that. This injustice would not go unpunished! He would get Akira back for taking his precious fan. He vowed this silently to himself before continuing. "Follow me."

He led the group over to the gate that he'd prepared. It was all set up for them. All that needed to be done was to power it up and then for them to go through, easy enough.

He looked at them all, staring at them each intently. Akira, Ichigo, Chad and Yoruichi met his eyes steadily while Inoue blushed and looked away. The Quincy just adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose before turning his head to look at Inoue. Urahara sighed before preparing to open the gate.

-o0o-

Akira stared ahead at the open gateway. It was time. He glanced across at Ichigo who had an equally determined look on his face. They were ready.

"Now," Yoruichi was saying. "When we enter the gate you need to run as fast as you can, otherwise…" She left the sentence hanging and they got the message. Inoue looked at them all nervously while Ishida fiddled with his glasses. "Are we all ready?" They nodded. "Let's go!"

With that they all set off at a run, passing through the brightness of the gate quickly. Akira lifted a hand to shield his eyes as he approached. It was a good thing that he wasn't in his wolf form; his eyes would probably be hurting like hell if he was.

Once they were all through Urahara allowed toe gateway to close. He stared after them, his eyes shadowed under the brim of his striped hat. They'd come back. He was sure of that. They had Yoruichi with them and she wouldn't let anything happen to them. That and, if push came to shove, he was sure that Ichigo and Akira could handle it.

"Good luck," he said to the empty room. "You'll need it, all of you."

They'd come back. They had to.

-o0o-

They were running, running down a dark passageway towards the exit. The 'tunnel' seemed to be made of dark rock but no one really paid much attention to that, too intent of reaching the end of the passage to notice much else. The glimmer of light didn't seem to be getting any bigger and they were running out of time. Akira's legs pounded against the floor of the tunnel as he strained his muscles, trying to go faster. Ichigo was in the lead along with Yoruichi and he was just behind them. Inoue and Chad were behind him and Ishida was at the end, the slowest of them all. It gave Akira some satisfaction to know that although he was the smallest he was also faster than them. He supposed that that stupid cape that the Quincy acted a bit like a parachute, catching the wind and slowing him down. As long as the idiot made it then it'd be okay but maybe he'd learn for the next time. Akira somehow doubted it.

Akira stared ahead at the brightness of the tunnel exit, concentrating on not tripping over a lose rock or a crack in his way. The light had gotten a little bigger. If he shifted then he'd be able to make it but what about the others? He could maybe carry Ichigo and Yoruichi but he knew that he wasn't strong enough to carry the others. He was pretty sure that Chad wouldn't even fit on his back! Coming to this conclusion he just kept running, cursing in his head at their bad luck.

"Shit!" he heard from behind him. He turned his head back again and saw something coming towards them.

"What the hell is that!" he demanded, directing the question at Yoruichi. She'd know.

"It's the cleaner!" the cat replied. "It comes through here every seven days and it's just our luck that today's the ay. Let it touch you and you're dead!"

'Just fantastic!' Akira silently thought. 'That's just what we need.' Yoruichi continued to speak and Akira focussed on the black cat.

"Don't release your spiritual pressure! If anyone releases any reiatsu in here the Cleaner will kill us all! Keep running towards the exit! We can make it!"

Akira refocused on his body, urging his legs to move faster. They had to make it. They just had to. The cleaner was getting closer and he could literally _feel_ it's presence behind them.

A cry was heard from behind and Akira turned his head just in time to see Ishida. The idiot's ridiculous outfit had been caught and now he was struggling to escape. Damn it! He knew that stupid outfit would cause trouble! Akira was about to run back but Chad beat him to it. With a mighty tug Chad pulled Ishida's cape free and hauled the glasses wearing idiot over his shoulder. Akira was glad to note that the cape was now shredded, that'll teach him.

"I can run!" the Quincy protested as he was bumped and jostled on Chad's shoulders. Chad didn't answer him, just kept running towards the light at the end of the tunnel. It was closer now, they were almost there. Just a little more and then they'd be safe. He forced his legs to move faster.

'Almost there,' he said in his head. 'Almost…there…'

"_Santen Kesshun! I reject!"_

Akira whirled around to find Inoue standing before the cleaner, her arms outstretched. Before her appeared a glowing, triangular shaped orange shield. Before he could process what had happened the cleaner hit the shield and the next thing he knew a wave of energy thrust into his chest, knocking him backwards. He was dimly aware of the others as they were thrown from the tunnel and out into bright light.

-o0o-

The first thing Akira registered as he returned to consciousness was the hardness of the ground. He winced as he moved his right arm. Great, he'd landed on top of it. He was lucky that it wasn't broken.

"Is everyone okay?" came Ichigo's voice from somewhere above. Akira lifted his head to find everyone else also on the ground although Inoue was sitting up and Ichigo was just rising to his feet. Inoue had a happy look on her face and Akira's eyes twitched. Just as he was about to say something to her Yoruichi beat him to it.

"You stupid girl!" The cat exclaimed, leaping at her, apparently trying to scratch her face. Inoue raised her arms and Yoruichi jumped back, glaring heatedly at the sitting girl. "Do you have any idea how reckless that was? I told you! I told you not to release your spiritual pressure! If the cleaner had touched anything but the shield, -including those little fairies of yours by the way- then all of us would be _dead!_"

"Is there really any need for that Yoruichi-san?" came Ishida's annoying voice. "I mean, if Orihime-san hadn't thought of her shield then wouldn't we all be dead anyway?"

Yoruichi rounded on the Quincy and proceeded to give him an earful that he wouldn't soon forget, not to mention a few scratches. Ichigo in the mean time was helping Akira to his feet. Akira winced as he felt something pop sharply. He hated it when something like this happened. Finally Yoruichi finished berating Ishida and strode over to the Kurosaki siblings.

"I knew that this would be rough but I didn't expect to need this so soon," Ishida muttered. He reached into a fold of his uniform and pulled out a second cape. As everyone stared him they all sweatdropped, except Chad of course. 'What the hell?' was the question that ran though everyone's mind, except Inoue. She was too naive to even consider thinking something like that.

"You brought another cape," Akira deadpanned.

"Yes!" Ishida said haughtily. "And what's so wrong about being prepared?"

Akira resisted the urge to slap the idiot. Hadn't he learned his lesson in the tunnel? Apparently not.

"Hey Yoruichi," Ichigo said suddenly, breaking the cat from her rant. "This is the Soul Society right? Why aren't there any people around here?"

Yoruichi turned from Ishida and took in their surrounds. They were in the middle of a deserted street with old fashioned houses all around. Some looked slightly dilapidated. Her eyes narrowed as she took this all in. Where was everyone? This place had been busy the last time she was here. Where did all the people go?

"I'm not sure," she answered to Ichigo's question. "We need to think of a plan."

"Hey, look over there!" Ichigo exclaimed, pointing ahead of them. Looking forward Akira noticed more buildings. They were different though. They appeared to be made of stone while the buildings around them were clearly made of wood and cloth. He frowned as he stared at them. Was that the way to the Seireitei? It seemed likely. Even the ground was different. Here it was just dirt the ground by the other buildings appeared to be of the same substance as the walls.

"I say we go and find out." Ichigo said. Akira blinked, he hadn't realised he's actually asked the question out loud instead of in his head. Before he could say anything Ichigo had taken off, running ahead.

"Ichigo!" Yoruichi called. "Come back here you baka! We must think of a plan first!" Ichigo paid the cat no mind, instead speeding up as he approached the gates.

"Baka," Akira muttered before taking off after Ichigo, the others in hot pursuit. Yoruichi sighed exasperatedly before taking off after them, silently asking herself why she'd saddled herself with so many impulsive pains in the ass.

Just before Ichigo reached the giant gate a shadow passed over him. Looking up Ichigo quickly retreated. The reason for this was made clear a moment later. A huge thud rocked the ground as a man landed in front of their group.

'Kami! Is this guy a giant?' Akira thought in alarm. The guy was huge and clearly strong if the mountains of muscles on his arms were anything to go by.

"Halt!" he called out, his voice booming like that of an avalanche. "No one shall pass through this gate! You must face me, Jidonbo! I am Gatekeeper for this sector. Which of you shall have the honour of challenging me first?"

'He sure is cocky,' Akira thought to himself. Then again, with the apparently strength he processed he had to give the guy credit. He certainly looked strong.

Ichigo stepped forward, raising a hand to grasp the handle of Zangetsu. He stared hard at the giant.

"I'll fight you," he said, his voice ringing out in the issuing silence.

"What!" Inoue exclaimed, her eyes large with apprehension as she stared at Ichigo's back. "But, But Kurosaki-kun! He's huge! You can't beat him by yourself!"

"She's right Kurosaki!" Ishida agreed. "We need a plan first! We can't just go charging into these situations without at least a basic plan."

"I've already got one," Ichigo tossed back.

"Oh," Ishida sneered, raising an eyebrow behind his glasses. "And what, prey tell, is that?"

"Simple," Ichigo replied offhandedly, keeping a wary eye on Jidonbo. "Fight to win and don't die."

Akira barely kept himself from rolling his eyes as Ishida burst into a stream of reasons _why_ exactly Ichigo's answer was a complete and utter waste of oxygen. He looked down at Yoruichi to see her eyes twitching and her tale swishing behind her. He winced, that wasn't a good combination. She was annoyed and when Yoruichi was annoyed…lets just say you didn't want to be around to see it. That entailed being at least three hundred feet away from her, at minimum.

"Very well," Jidonbo said. "I have graced you with my name. Tell me, what is yours? I assume that you at least have the decent manners to allow you to perform this simple act of curtsy."

"That's simple," Ichigo replied, drawing Zangetsu. The wrappings fell away and wound around his hand and wrist. He gripped the sword tightly in both hands and stared hard at the giant. "It's Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki. And by the way, thanks for waiting for me to finish my conversation before starting."

"I see you don't have many manners. I'll enlighten you. It is considered extremely rude to attack someone before they are ready to battle. You really aren't from around here are you?" Ichigo shook his head and the giant continued. "Well, Ichigo Ichigo Kurosaki. Let the fight begin!" With that Jidonbo reached into the folds of his Shihakusho and pulled out a huge axe. It looked about twice as tall as Ichigo and Akira was sure that it was at least eight times heavier than his older brother as well. He winced, he wouldn't want to be in the way when that thing hit. Jidonbo swung his axe downward, straight towards Ichigo. Ichigo raised Zangetsu above his head and a metallic 'clang' rang out. Smoke billowed around the pair and Akira was momentarily blinded. When it finally cleared his eyes opened wide with astonishment. There, holding up Jidonbo's axe as if it were nothing, stood Ichigo.

Jidonbo seemed just as surprised as Akira, more so even. He stared down at Ichigo as if seeing him for the first time. He took in the spiky orange hair, the brown eyes and the sharp featured face. An image of another Shinigami made its way into the gatekeeper's mind but he pushed it back. It was time to concentrate on the fight.

"Not bad," he complimented. "There are very few who have been able to withstand the strength of my axe. I am impressed Ichigo Kurosaki. However, you have yet to survive my next attack!"

With that Jidonbo lifted the axe and, swinging in a slightly different way, brought the axe down again. Ichigo didn't dodge; instead he raised Zangetsu again to block. Again the axe didn't pass Zangetsu.

"What is going on?" Ishida demanded hotly. "Why isn't he fighting back by now?"

"Quiet baka," Akira told him firmly. Ishida glared at him so Akira decided to explain. "He's tiring the guy out. If Jidonbo uses up all his strength swinging that axe then he wont' have anything left when Ichigo finally attacks."

Inoue looked at him, her eyes wide. She turned back to Ichigo. Jidonbo had started reigning down blow upon blow, trying desperately to break through Ichigo's defence. Jidonbo's chest rumbled in a growl and he brought out a second axe. Inoue gasped but Akira didn't move. He didn't think it would make much of a difference. Ichigo continued to withstand the blows and Akira noticed that the speed with which Jidonbo dealt the blows was beginning to waver. The big guy was obviously tiring. Ichigo seemed to sense this too.

Jidonbo paused in his vicious sweating, panting as he stared down at Ichigo. 'I won't lose to him!' Jidonbo silently thought. 'I must win! I will not let some outsider beat me so easily!' He raised both axes and with all the strength he could muster, raised them above his head and slammed them down.

It was then when Ichigo struck.

Moving quickly, almost too quickly for the eye to see, he dodged both axes and jumped into the air. He raised Zangetsu over his head and slashed downward. Jidonbo looked at his axes as the handles seemed to first crack then break away from the stone of the axe head. He stared down at his precious weapons, his eyes wide. Had this Ryoka…had this Ryoka really just broken _both_ of his axes?

Ichigo was standing calmly in front of the giant, Zangetsu swung over his shoulders in an almost relaxed position. Akira could tell he wasn't relaxed though. Ichigo was still tense and he was staring at Jidonbo intently. Jidonbo fell backwards with an earth shaking 'thud'. He just stared at his broken axe handles, a look of complete and utter disbelief on his face.

"You, you broke my axes," he said, clearly in a daze. "No one, _no one_ has broken my axes before!"

"Well," Ichigo said. "There's a first time for everything."

-o0o-

Akira stared at Jidonbo as the giant talked calmly to Ichigo. The giant's voice was softer and even though it was still loud Akira couldn't quite make out what was exchanged between the two. Whatever it was it seemed to satisfy the giant for he stood up and looked at the rest of the group.

"You have earned the right to pass into Soul Society," he intoned. His voice was back to its usual thundering intensity. "But be warned, there are many in these walls who are much stronger than I. Take care. Now, I will open the gate."

Akira felt himself sigh with relief. The thought that the gatekeeper would want to fight all of them had crossed his mind but thankfully it wasn't needed. Jidonbo would let them all through.

The giant turned and set his axe handles on the ground. Slowly, ever so slowly, Jidonbo began to open the gate. Ishida, Ichigo, Akira and Inoue gasped as Jidonbo lifted the heavy gateway. It must way _tonnes!_

Slowly the other side of the gate was revealed to them inch bi inch. They saw buildings of uniform colour stretching out in front of them. Akira made to step forward but he felt something, something that stopped him. It was a reiatsu signature. It was clearly being suppressed somewhat but it was still incredibly strong. He looked around, trying to find the source of the spiritual pressure. Where was it coming from? Clearly Yoruichi had noticed it too and was looking around furtively. She knew that reiatsu. She'd recognise it anywhere. But where was he? He cast his gaze all around him, trying to find the signature. How was the person doing that? It almost seemed like the reiatsu was coming from everywhere at once!

"Well, well," came a voice from up ahead. "What'd we got here?"

Akira's head whipped back around to stare at the figure that had appeared before them. How could he not have noticed when the guy had stepped out in front of them? He silently berated himself for being so distracted by the reiatsu. If the guy had attacked rather than talked…he'd be dead by now, no questions asked. He knew that as well as he knew his own name. The others were just as confused, staring openly at the figure before them. Akira took in his appearance. He was wearing the traditional Shinigami Shihakusho but over that he was wearing a white haori with no sleeves and a black pattern along the bottom. His hair was sparkling silver. His face was what really put Akira on edge though. The guy's eyes were mere slits and his mouth was stretched into a wide smile. Akira shivered as he stared at the figure. He was forcibly reminded of a fox, a sly, cunning fox. The fact that he couldn't actually see the eyes only enhanced his unease. A person's eyes could be a key part in reading said person, all he could see were slits.

"Who are you?" Ichigo demanded hotly, automatically stepping slightly in front of Akira. He didn't even realise he'd done it; the reaction had been so natural. Akira had to resist the temptation to roll his eyes. Honestly! It wasn't as if he was a helpless kid! He turned his attention to Yoruichi who was growling softly at the stranger.

"That," Yoruichi growled, her teeth flashing. "Is the Taicho if the third division, Gin Ichimaru."

Akira's eyes widened. A Taicho? His only thought was 'Shit!' Ichigo being who he was just turned and glanced at Yoruichi before turning back to Ichimaru who was now focussing on Jidonbo.

"What're we gunna do wit' ya now? You're not s'posed to let um in ya know." He said this almost conversationally, as if he was discussing something as trivial as the weather. If he were honest with himself Akira would say that it almost sounded like a parent chiding their child after catching them with their hand in the coolie jar. He picked up the edge in the faux friendly voice however and his eyes narrowed.

"I was defeated," Jidonbo answered. "I had to grant them passage."

"Uh, uh, uh," Ichimaru said, wagging a reproving finger at the giant. "Ya dun' seem t' understan'. Bein' a gatekeeper means tha' ya stop um from comin' in, ya dun' open it up so's they can come in."

"But they defeated me!" Jidonbo answered back. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"That's an easy question Jidonbo-san," Ichimaru answered. He reached down and unsheathed his blade. "You dun' let um in, ya die." Then, without warning Ichimaru lashed out at the giant, aiming for one of the bulky arms holding up the gate. Jidonbo screamed as muscle, skin, bone and blood vessels were severed. He fell to his knees, one arm still holding up the huge gate.

Ichigo felt anger boil up inside him and he ran forward, vaguely he could hear Yoruichi yelling at him to come back but he didn't listen. He bared his teeth and glared at the figure of the third division Taicho.

Akira cursed Ichigo under his breath. Why did Ichigo have to be such a baka at times like this? Ignoring Yoruichi (something he was sure he'd regret later) he ran forward after Ichigo. They stepped feet away from the gate. Ichimaru turned his head and looked at them, tilting it to the side in curiosity.

"I though' there was only s'posed t' be one o' ya?" His tone hadn't changed at all and Akira glared at him. How could you sound so, so _calm_ after doing what he'd just done to Jidonbo? "Min' explainin'?

"Yes," Akira said curtly before Ichigo could answer. "We do mind so we won't."

Ichimaru's smile seemed to get bigger, showing white teeth as the lips pulled back. Akira felt a shiver run up his spine but ignored it. Now was not the time.

"I like ya!" Ichimaru said brightly. "Well, if ya won' tell me that then could ya t'least give me yur names?" Akira and Ichigo traded looks before Ichigo stepped forward, hefting Zangetsu into a ready position.

"My name is Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki," he answered. His voice was strong and carried on the air, despite facing someone who clearly had a lot of power at his disposal. Anyone else would be shaking in their sandals right now. Akira stepped up beside him and rested his hand on the hilt of Hinotemaru's single bladed sealed form. He stared at Ichimaru's face intently.

"Akira Kurosaki."

"Oh?" Ichimaru's voice had taken on a curious tone. "So yur brothers then? Ya dun' look alike. One's tall and the other's a midget, a bit like Shiro-Taicho actually."

Despite the situation Ichigo couldn't resist sending a smirk in Akira's direction. Akira eye twitched as he glared heatedly at Ichimaru. Oh, he'd get the Taicho back for that! Before he could return fire with his own cutting remark however Ichimaru spoke again.

"I hate t' cut this lil talk o' ours short but t'looks like yur big friend over there can' hold the gate up much longer. I guess this's goodbye."

With that Ichimaru turned his back and began to walk away from them. Akira blinked in confusion. What was the guy doing? He soon found out.

With almost blinding speed Ichimaru turned around and Akira heard him say something, a release command? Before he knew what was happening there was a large blade coming towards Ichigo. Without thinking he pushed his brother down on the ground, out of the way of the approaching blade. He looked up and gasped as he noticed that it was Ichimaru's Zanpakuto. It had extended like a giant spear. As he stared at it the blade retracted into its usual size, which didn't look much bigger than Hinotemaru in Shikai from.

Finally Jidonbo's strength gave out and he fell to the ground, the enormous gate falling heavily to the ground. The last thing Akira saw before the gate slammed was Gin Ichimaru's grinning face.

Akira stared at the gate unseeingly for a while, his mind a blur with images and thoughts. That attack had been so fast; he'd barely had time to dodge it. He guessed that it was his canine reflexes coming into play. He was sure he wasn't that fast before. He hated to think what could've happened if he hadn't pushed Ichigo out of the way in time. If he hadn't then Ichigo could be seriously injured or worse.

"Ichigo! Akira!" came Yoruichi's voice behind them, knocking Akira from his morbid thoughts. He turned to see the cat sprinting towards them. He gingerly stood up and checked himself over automatically, no broken bones, maybe a few bruises but they'd heal quickly enough. He reached down a hand to help Ichigo up but the orangette ignored it in favour of standing by himself.

"What in Kami's name were you two thinking?" Yoruichi exploded as she reached them. Her back with stiff and her tail lashed behind her like a whip. Her eyes were shards of amber as she stared at the brothers. Akira winced, she was pissed and he knew it. A pissed Yoruichi was a very dangerous Yoruichi.

"How could you both be so stupid?" she demanded hotly. "Do you have any idea how much danger the two of you were in? Ichimaru is one of the strongest Taicho class Shinigami in the whole of Seireitei! You could have been killed in less time than it took to draw breath!" Yoruichi glared heatedly at them before lunging at Ichigo and slashing her claws diagonally across his face. Ichigo yelped in pain and tried to swat at her but she'd already moved onto Akira, giving him the same treatment. "That!" she told Ichigo. "Was for running into a situation like that blindly" And that!" she gestured at Akira "Was for following him!"

Akira reached up to feel the scratch marks. They weren't too deep, not enough to scar anyway but they stung. He glared at the cat that now sat before them.

"You didn't need to do that you know," he snarled at her.

"I'll be the judge of that," Yoruichi replied simply before turning her back on them and walking over to the fallen Jidonbo. "How is he Inoue-san?"

"Well, um," Inoue stuttered. "I think I can heal him. In fact I'm sure I can!" she smiled bright at Yoruichi. Akira raised an eyebrow. Was she serious? What wound was pretty big, he knew medi-wizards that couldn't heal something like that and they'd been practicing for over ten years! Yoruichi only nodded her head at the girl.

"Is it true?" came a voice from behind them. "Can you really heal Jidonbo-san?"

Their whole group turned to see an elderly man in old fashioned clothing standing before them. Behind him was a large group of people in similar dress, all staring at them.

'Well,' Akira thought. 'At least we know where all the people were now.'

Yoruichi looked at all the people that were now gathered around them, all staring imploringly at Inoue or Jidonbo.

"Please, he's been a good friend to many of us," the old man continued. "He came from this district, he treats us all with respect, so unlike most Shinigami that venture past the walls. Please, we beg of you, heal our friend." Yoruichi nodded before turning back to face Inoue.

"Alright, do it."

"Right!" With that Inoue took a deep breath and faced Jidonbo. "_Soten Kisshun! I reject!"_ Akira noticed two beams of light emerge from one of Inoue's hair clips and his eyebrow rose of its own accord. The second eyebrow joined its pair as the two beams of light formed two small creatures that floated in front of Inoue. Interesting. Inoue appeared to have a short conversation with the two fairy like creatures before they flew over to Jidonbo.

Akira's eyes widened as the two fairies formed a glowing orange dome around the large wound. He watched in fascination as the wound began to heal, closing before his eyes. Hell! Even the blood stains vanished from the giant's uniform!

'What the hell?' he thought. 'Is that even possible? Obviously since I just saw her do it but still…if she can do that so easily...maybe she's not as useless as I thought she was. She could be useful, like a medi-witch. It's always handy to have someone who can heal, She shouldn't be within one hundred feet of a battle though, her temperament isn't right. She could get herself killed.'

Akira was broken from his inner ramblings by a loud cheer from the assembled crowd. He couldn't resist smiling slightly at them, their joy was infectious. It was hard not to smile as he stared at all the souls around them. How long had they all been here? He remembered Rukia telling him that the soul aged a lot less quickly than the body.

"Done!" Inoue said brightly. She stood from her crouched position over Jidonbo's now fully healed arm and smiled around at them all. "He'll be fine, just make sure he gets plenty of rest okay?"

"Of course," the elder replied, bowing to Inoue formally. "Thank you once again Chiryo-shi-sana" (Healer) Inoue blushed brightly at the title the old man gave her and Akira raised his eyebrow again. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Hey!" came a young voice from the crowd. "Let me through please! Excuse me! Hey!"

A young boy pushed through the crowd and ran towards them, or more specifically toward Chad. The boy stopped a few feet away and stared up at Chad adoringly. "Hey! Do you remember me?"

Chad stared down at the boy for a moment before his eyes widened slightly. He crouched, looking into the boy's youthful face.

"You were the…" he began but the boy cut him off, smiling brightly.

"Yup! I was the one that you helped, the parakeet! How'ya doin'?"

"I'm good," Chad replied. "And you?"

"I'm great!" the boy replied enthusiastically. "Hey, you said that when we saw each other again that you'd let me ride on your shoulders? Do you think, maybe, you could do that now? Please!" The boy looked up at Chad imploringly, his eyes a perfect replica of the infamous puppy dog pout that most children, women and some men learned to master from a young age. Akira smirked mentally. Chad had no chance. Not that he thought the big guy would refuse the kid. Akira was sure that the kid had wormed his way into the giant's heard and it was going to take a lot to get the kid out of there. Once Chad bonded with someone it took a lot to break that bond. Even if the bond was broken it would never fade completely, that was just the kind of person that Chad was.

"Sure," Chad said before swinging the kid up and onto his broad shoulders. As he stood up the kid laughed happily and hugged Chad's head.

"Now," the elder said, addressing the entire group. "You are welcome to stay with me for the night. You have powers and you will need food. You are all welcome to stay with me as long as you need. I insist."

"Thank you Elder," Yoruichi said formally, bowing her feline head in the direction of the old man. "We will be more than happy to accept your hospitality for tonight. There is one thing I would like to ask you though."

"Oh?" the elder asked, curiosity tainting his old voice. "And what might that be Yoruichi-sama?"

"Do you know the current whereabouts of Kukaku Shiba?"

-o0o-

**AN:** Okay, I just wanna say straight up that I know that the fight scene and the gate-tunnel part weren't that good. I'm not good at writing battle scenes and I know that but I gave it my best shot so hopefully that's enough for now. I'm hoping that I'll be able to improve my writing as the fic goes on so hopefully I'll be able to write a decent fight scene at some point in time.

Did I get Gin's accent right? I think I did, Gin is awesome!

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and review if ya did!

Thanks!

MG Mirani


	12. Chapter 12

Hiya everyone! Welcome to the next chapter of my (currently) favourite fanfiction to write. Let's get the boring stuff outta the way before we get to the good stuff ne?

Poll results

Hichi/Ichi (35)

Ichi/Ruki (22)

**Anon review replies**

**Jen: **Thanks! I just love the idea of them together! It was such a cute idea and I couldn't resist! That and they kinda had to be together for the plot to work correctly. She'd been summoned to the martial arts tournament earlier than in Canon and by the time she gets back they'll have left. She's not gunna be happy with them though, she's gunna be pissed and I'm looking forward to writing that scene later. I didn't include her cuz honestly it would've gotten confusing and I would've ended up treating everyone like side characters and that would ruin the fic if I included too many characters at once. It's possible in the anime cuz they can cut to different scenes and make it seem natural but in a story that doesn't always work and I don't think I could cope with writing out fight scenes about characters that I don't like and that everyone knows what's happening. Does that make sense? Thanks and I hope you like this chapter as much!

**Annabelle:** Yes, later on there will be a full description of the species that Harry/Akira is able to turn into. As for other abilities…you'll just have to wait and see. I know that a wolf has been used many times before and that's why I tried to make it a little different. I think I succeeded. –Smirks- you'll just have to wait and see. I don't wanna give too much away after all. Something like that might happen. Yachiru's reaction would be VERY fun to write!

Right, now that that's outta the way have fun reading!

-o0o-

**Chapter 12**

-o0o-

The next morning they set off bright and early, all wondering silently just who this 'Kukaku Shiba' was. They'd had a good night's sleep and were raring to go, everyone except Ishida that is. He was complaining that _someone_ had somehow gotten his pristine Quincy robes covered in long black hair. He didn't accuse Yoruichi of course, he wasn't quite that stupid and her hair wasn't long enough. He didn't know about Akira's animagus form but he somehow _knew_ that it was his fault! The smirk on the teen's face didn't exactly help matters either but oh well, what're you gunna do against a wizard Shinigami? It didn't help Ishida's predicament that Akira has cast a sticking charm on the hair. Ishida wouldn't be able to remove any of it for at least another hour, maybe two. That should teach the Quincy when to keep his mouth shut.

As they set off Akira couldn't help but reflect on last night's events. What had been that guy's problem? He'd rode up to them _on the back of a pig_ and basically harassed them and threatened them! Then Ichigo and the guy, who hadn't even given them his name, started fighting. To top it off the guy had run off somewhere, did he have a curfew or something?

"Now," Yoruichi said, bringing them all to a halt just outside the old fashioned village like area. "When we reach Kukaku's home I want all of you to show her the utmost respect. Is that clear?" Her faze fixed squarely on Ishida and Ichigo. Akira had to try hard not to smirk at them. Ichigo nodded his head while Ishida glared at the cat and readjusted his glasses on his nose. Akira rolled his eyes, didn't the guy think of using contacts instead? At least they had less chance of getting broken or lost during a fight.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, answering Yoruichi's demand. "We hear you loud and clear."

"Good."

With that she turned and headed to the right, leading them away from the populated area of Rukongai. They soon found themselves passing ram shackled buildings that looked like they'd been abandoned for at least five years, probably more knowing the age of most people in the soul society. Soon they left these buildings behind and were travelling through open grass land. Akira looked around him, where exactly did this Kukaku live and why was it so out of the way?

Behind him he could hear Inoue and Ishida debating on who exactly Kukaku was. He had to try hard not to sweatdrop at some of their suggestions, especially Inoue's theory that it was a dog of some kind. Honestly! That girl had the strangest imagination he'd ever heard of! Sure, creativity had its place in the world; he knew that and respected those who possessed it but seriously! Couldn't she come up with something more sensible to say? He was probably being a bit unfair, no one else knew about Yoruichi's ability to shape shift but it still irked him though. Oh well, he'd just have to deal with it. It wasn't any skin off his back after all.

"We're here."

The announcement from up ahead caught Akira be surprise. He'd been so deep in thought that he hadn't even noticed where they'd been going. He looked ahead and saw a large stone building with two tower like structures on either side. What really caught the eye was that the towers were shaped like…were those hands? Yes they were and they were holding up a banner. This was where Kukaku lived?

"Hold! Who goes there?" came a voice. They turned to see two very large men, not nearly the size of Jidonbo but still formidable. They were staring at the group mistrustfully and Akira could see the wary glint in both sets of eyes, eyes that were beady and narrowed. He cursed silently. Just great.

Yoruichi seemed not to mind though; in fact she seemed pleased to see them. She walked over to them and their eyes widened once they caught sight of the black cat.

"Yoruichi-sama!" they chorused, bowing. "What brings you here once again Yoruichi-sama? Who are these people with you and why have you brought them here?"

"Those are questions I will only answer when asked by Kukaku," Yoruichi replied. "Now, take us to Kukaku, we have much to discuss."

"But Yoruichi-sama!" the one on the right said. "Are you sure that is wise?"

"Yes," Yoruichi said, clearly starting to get annoyed. "Now, don't make me repeat myself again. Take us to Kukaku _now!_"

Akira knew that tone, so did the two guards apparently for them immediately snapped to attention and snapped "At once Yoruichi-sama!" quicker than the time it took him to blink.

A few minutes later they were all descending a staircase. The light of day was to their backs as they steadily made their way deeper underground.

"This place must've taken ages to build," Ishida commented. "It's so deep underground, it explains why no one's found it yet."

"Yes," Yoruichi answered. "Kukaku has always been a very careful person if a bit…yow should I put this? Noticeable and quite loud."

Now Akira was curious. Yoruichi hadn't told him that much about her, Tessai and Urahara when they were still a part of the Gotei 13. She hadn't told him about her old friends, anything much really. He knew enough though and for now that was enough. This person, Kukaku Shiba, was obviously someone that Yoruichi trusted and respected a great deal. And if Yoruichi thought that Kukaku was noticeable and loud…that must not be the half of it.

They were about to find out just what Yoruichi was talking about.

The two burly men lead them down deeper and finally stopped outside a sliding door.

"Wait here," one said before entering and shutting the door behind him, preventing the group from seeing inside. They weren't waiting long, a couple minutes at the most before the door was thrown open and they were beckoned inside, Yoruichi leading their little group.

"It is my pleasure to introduce you all to Kukaku Shiba."

'Well,' Akira thought. 'This was unexpected.'

All of them, including him, had assumed that Kukaku would be male although knowing Yoruichi and her fondness for surprises he really shouldn't have been so surprised. The woman that sat before them was clad in an outfit if white and red with bandages wrapped around her head. Her black hair peaked through the bandages and appeared just as messy as his own when it wasn't tied back. She was staring at them intently, her eyes flicking from one person to another until they finally settled on the feline form of Yoruichi.

Ichigo opened his mouth to say something but Akira discretely kicked Ichigo's nearest ankle, effectively silencing him. Ichigo cast a glare at Akira but kept silent. Kukaku seemed to notice what Akira did and sent him an approving grin. Akira raised an eyebrow at her and the woman turned back to Yoruichi.

"It's been a while hasn't it Yoruichi?" Kukaku asked, an amused smile playing across her lips. "And I get the feeling this isn't a social call."

"No," Yoruichi replied matter-of-factly. "It is not."

"And usually when this happens you come to me because you want something, correct?"

"Correct," Yoruichi affirmed.

Kukaku sighed before taking settling herself more comfortably and staring intently at the sat. "Well," she said. "Start explaining. I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into. Well? What're you waiting for? Sit down. You're making the place look untidy"

Sitting down in a row with Yoruichi in front they all faced Kukaku. Yoruichi's tale swayed as she stared at the woman and Akira got the strange feeling that they were communicating silently, the kind of communication close friends develop over a long period of time. Before he could ponder this anymore Yoruichi began their story.

-o0o-

Finally, after all the explanations were out of the way Kukaku sat back, a thoughtful look on her face. Akira's eyes were trained on Yoruichi as he silently thanked her for not mentioning his magic, he didn't know how many people actually knew about it in the soul society after all.

Kukaku let out a long, low whistle as she stared at them. Her eyes focused on Akira and Ichigo, both fidgeting slightly under her intent gaze.

"Well," she said, climbing to her feet. "With Urahara involved how can I say no? Honestly I've been a little bored lately."

"So you'll help us then?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

"Of course," Kukaku answered, giving Yoruichi a grin. "This sounds too interesting to pass up. However, there's one condition."

"Condition?" Ichigo asked.

Yeah," Kukaku replied, her eyes flicking to the orangette before returning to Yoruichi. "You I trust completely Yoruichi but these kids…not a chance."

Seeing that Ichigo was about to say something Akira quickly lashed out with his nearest foot and hit Ichigo on his thigh. Ichigo barely managed to contain a yelp and cast an annoyed glare at Akira who only glared back and made a 'zip it,' sign with his hands. Thankfully Ichigo listened and stayed quiet.

Again Kukaku caught the exchange and she grinned openly at Akira. 'I could grow to like this kid,' she thought. "So," she continued, walking over to one of the sides of the room where another sliding door was placed. "I'll be sending an overseer."

"An overseer?" Akira asked.

"Yeah," Kukaku said, rapping three times on the door. "I call him that but really he's just my little brother. He's usually an idiot and not very useful but in this case I could use him. Hey Ganju! You ready in there!"

"Ready Nee-san!" came the short reply. The voice sounded familiar but Akira couldn't quite place it.

"Good, don't make an ass of yourself." With that Kukaku opened the door to reveal her younger brother.

"Greetings strangers, my name is Ganju Shiba and I am honoured to be of assistance."

Akira's eye twitched as he recognised who the person was. 'Oh shit,' he silently thought. 'This isn't going to end well…'

Sure enough as Ganju raised his head and the others caught sight of him and vise versa…

"YOU!" Immediately both Ganju and Ichigo leapt to their feet, glaring daggers at each other. Kukaku stared between them, a look of surprise settling on her face.

"You two know each other?" she asked.

"We had the _pleasure_ of meeting your younger brother yesterday," Akira explained. "Let's just say that they didn't exactly hit it off."

What proceeded proved Akira's words to be the understatement of the century.

-o0o-

Akira glared down at Ichigo as his older brother sprawled on the floor, a dazed expression on his face. If Kukaku hadn't stopped the fight when she did Akira wasn't sure there would still be a house, not that there was much left of the upper part after Kukaku released that energy attack. Akira shuddered and made a mental note _never_ to piss that woman off.

"Mind telling me exactly what you were thinking?" Akira asked dryly. Ichigo's only answer was a mutter. Akira scowled before prodding Ichigo's closest limb, his left arm, with his boot. Ichigo looked up at him and Akira glared.

"Wanna try that again?" Akira asked.

"The guy pissed me off," Ichigo answered, still muttering but at least it was audible this time.

"So you thought that fighting him…in his own home would do anything?"

Ichigo just muttered again and Akira sighed. Ichigo could be so hot headed at times. Then again so could he…

His thoughts were interrupted as Kukaku approached them. Akira hastily moved out of the way to give her plenty of room. She addressed them both at the same time.

"You idiots! What the hell were you thinking? Now my house is ruined _again! _I outta rip you a new one for being so freakin' _stupid!_" Akira resisted the urge to point out that it was her energy attack that had blown the hole in the roof and not their fighting but his survival instincts prevented him from commenting.

"You should know better!" she continued, turning her full attention on Ganju.

"But Nee-san…" he began but was cut off by Kukaku.

"I don't wanna hear it! And as for you…"

Kukaku turned her full attention on Ichigo who seemed to shrink a little. Akira couldn't resist the slight smirk that pulled at his lips. Ichigo saw it and a betrayed expression crossed his face before the shadow of Kukaku fell on him. The dark haired woman grasped the back of Ichigo's Shihakusho and lifted him into the air by it so that he was eye level with him.

"This is my house. If you don't like the way I do things here the either deal with it or get out. Do I make myself clear?"

Ichigo gulped before replying quickly. "Yes ma'am."

"Good."

Kukaku then dropped Ichigo unceremoniously to the ground. Akira shook his head as the others came tiptoeing into the room.

"Any of you got something to say?" Kukaku demanded, turning to the new comers.

"No, nothing at all!" the all replied, even Yoruichi. It was clear to Akira that even the Mistress of Flash was scared of Kukaku when she was in this volatile a mood.

"Good!"

Akira then noticed that Ichigo had crawled over to Ganju. He raised his eyebrows and then sighed as he heard Ichigo mutter. "You're sister's a real piece of work."

"I know," Ganju answered.

"Oi! You two!" Kukaku called. Both immediately stood. Akira's eyebrow rose. If he didn't know any better he'd swear they used Shunpo. "Now everyone, follow me. It's time to show you how you'll be entering the Seireitei."

The small group filed behind Kukaku as she led them down many tunnels. Akira observed that even though they were clearly underground the ceiling was extremely bright, like it was painted with phosphorous or something. Apparently Ishida noticed as well for he commented on it, asking if there was any electricity.

"They're Firefly creeper vines," explained Kukaku. "They give off a glow that makes them very useful."

"I haven't heard of that before," Ishida commented. "Is it a plant that only grows in the Soul Society?" Kukaku didn't answer. She stepped in front of a door. Ishida was clearly annoyed about being ignored and would have rebuked Kukaku for being rude but Ichigo quickly put a hand over Ishida's mouth, cutting him off.

"Now pay attention!" Kukaku ordered. All immediately faced her. "Behind this door is what will carry you all into the Seireitei so don't mess it up."

With that Kukaku pushed open the heavy doors and stepped into the darkened room. Everyone else filed in after her and looked around in awe.

Standing before them was the largest cannon that Akira had ever seen, reaching so tall that it completely disappeared into the darkness above.

"Is that a…" began Inoue but Kukaku cut her off.

"Yeah," Kukaku said. "I'll get you all into the seireitei, through the air."

"The air?" exclaimed Ishida.

"That's right," Kukaku said, turning to face them and smirking. "Or my name's not Kukaku Shiba, fireworks expert of the Rokon District! Now, Kugonahiko! Shirogonahiko! Raise it up!"

Immediately they all felt the floor begin to vibrate beneath their feet. They all stared around them as the walls begun to move.

'No,' Akira thought in wonder. 'It isn't the floor that's moving…it's us!'

"Look!" cried Inoue, pointing upwards.

"The ceiling," Ishida breathed. "It's opening up!"

"Way to state the obvious," commented Akira.

Finally they passed through the space that was once the ceiling and found themselves standing on a platform in the middle of the grassy field around Kukaku's house.

"Impressed?" Asked Kukaku, sounding smug. "You should be. Allow me to introduce you to my Flower Crane Cannon."

"But, how can you shoot us with that?" Akira asked. "I mean, unless we're in some kind of cannon ball then we'll be blown to pieces."

"That's where this thing comes in," replied Kukaku, tossing Akira a large ball that she took from no where. It was light in colour was a red arrow like symbol on it. Everyone stared at it curiously and Akira passed it to Ichigo so he could get a better look. "It's called a Reishukaku. All you need to do is put your spirit energy inside and it'll form the cannon ball."

"Um, how do we do that exactly?" Ichigo asked. Kukaku looked at him as if he'd gone mad.

"You mean you can't channel your spiritual pressure? What kind of Shinigami can't do that? It's one of the first tasks taught at the academy!"

"Well, as you know he's a substitute Shinigami and Rukia, the one we're here to rescue, never actually taught either him or Akira how to channel their spiritual pressure. I believe her thought was that they wouldn't have to deal with any situations that required them to."

Kukaku glared down at them. "How about the rest of you? No, never mind."

"Isn't there another way to get into the Seireitei?" Inoue asked somewhat timidly.

"No," Kukaku said bluntly. "You may think that that wall is the only thing protecting the Seireitei but you are dead wrong. That wall is made out of a special stone known as Seki Seki which emits a wave of energy that is able to break down Reiatsu. Here is a small fragment."

From some inner pocked Kukaku took out a small chip of stone about the size of her thumb nail. She placed it on the ground then, charging her right fist with reiatsu, she brought it down hard on the rock. When the dist cleared they stared in awe. Everything around the small garment of Seki Seki had been crushed but the wood underneath the stone remained unharmed. Kukaku picked the stone up again and the rest of the wood crumbled. "See what I mean?"

They all nodded.

"Right," Kukaku looked at them all before deciding something. "Kuganahiko! Shiroganahiko! Take them to the training room!"

"Hai Kukaku-sama!" the two men called before quickly scooped Ishida, Inoue, Chad and Ichigo up and made their way to the indoor training ground. At a sign from Yoruichi the two men didn't carry Akira off with them. Akira sent Yoruichi a questioning look as did Kukaku.

"Akira should already be able to do this quite easily," Yoruichi explained. Akira gave her a look a raised his eyebrow. "Remember when you unlocked your Zanpakuto and you used your attack for the first time? The shadow slash?"

He nodded.

"Well, the same concept applies here," Yoruichi explained. "Only instead of channelling your reiatsu into your Zanpakuto you need to channel it into the Reishukaku. Give it a try."

Akira caught the ball that Kukaku sent his way and looked down at it. It seemed ordinary enough. He bit his lip and closed his eyes, trying to focus on his spiritual power as it circulated within his body. He found it and grasped it and slowly began to guide it into the object in his hands. He didn't try to force it so much as guide it. He'd learned the hard way that if you pushed your reiatsu too hard and too fast then it would backfire, usually very painfully.

He felt the power emitting from the sphere and form a spherical shape around him. He opened his eyes and gazed around himself, turning around in a circle to view it. He was in a ball made up of see through light green energy.

"Well," Kukaku commented. "That's different. Usually the ball is blue."

"Green is the colour of Akira's spiritual pressure," Yoruichi commented. "Perhaps that translated itself to the Reishukaku."

"Maybe…" Kukaku trained off, clearly in deep thought. "Ganju's is usually blue although his spiritual pressure, what little he has of it, is a different colour."

"What can I say?" Yoruichi said, shrugging her cat shoulders. "Maybe Akira's just different."

Akira tried not to wince. He wondered if maybe the different colour had to do with his magic, which would explain it. He remembered something that Ishida had said a while ago about Shinigami's soul ribbons being red but when he'd looked at his it had been a vibrant green…

He pushed the thoughts from his mind and drew his reiatsu back into himself causing the sphere to shrink and return to the ball. He looked up at Kukaku who was staring at him curiously. He tried not to fidget under her unwavering gaze. Finally she seemed to decide that she'd had enough and turned her attention to Ganju who was sitting against the cannon seemingly half asleep.

"Oi! Ganju!" Ganju immediately jumped to his feet, a slightly dazed expression on his face. "I want you to go to the training hall and keep an eye on the kids, take Akira with you. He can watch and maybe help the others."

"Got it sis!"

-o0o-

"Prisoner Rukia Kuchiki, it is time for you to be moved to the repentance cell."

Rukia turned her head to look at the one who had spoken. He was covered completely from head to foot; even his face. The only thing that was visible was the bridge of his nose, his eyes were in shadow.

"I understand," she said softly. She did not resist as a collar was put around her neck with four chains attached. Each robed figure held a chain in one hand and in the other they held spear like weapons. Rukia closed her eyes as a hood was placed over her head and she was lead out of the prison cell where she had spent the last several days.

'So,' she thought. 'I'm being moved. That means that Central 46 has made its decision.' She squeezed her eyes shut tighter. She wouldn't cry; she couldn't show weakness.

Her guard paused and Rukia did the same. Underneath the hood her eyes widened as she heard a familiar voice speaking to the person who was in charge. That was Renji. Her chest constricted painfully and she fought back the tears that threatened to spill. She would not cry. She would not cry.

They continued and Rukia felt herself being led along passageways, up stairs, around twisting corridors until finally she knew that they had reached the bridge that connected the repentance cell to the rest of the seireitei.

They walked slowly and Rukia used the time to compose herself as best she could. She had chosen to return, to spare Ichigo and Akira. They would be safe.

She heard a door being unlocked and then they were inside. The hood was removed and the chains attached to the collar around her neck vanished.

"This is the repentance cell," the lead guard stated solemnly. "From the window a prisoner may sit and gaze at the Sokyoku. It is hoped that by doing this the prisoner may repent for the crimes that they have committed against the Seireitei."

"I understand," Rukia said softly, not looking at any of them. She heard a figure approaching and instinctively knew that it was Renji.

"Do you see it Rukia?" he murmured in her year. "That's the instrument of your destruction. All of this could have been avoided if you'd just come to us sooner and turned over that Ryoka."

Rukia said nothing. She did not regret her decision.

"Lieutenant Abarai, it is time to go."

Rukia didn't look at him. She just kept her eyes facing forward, staring out at the Sokyoku. Renji placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned in closer to whisper in her ear.

"I want to leave you with a little information," he said and Rukia could hear an emotion in his voice that she couldn't identify. "There are intruders in the Soul Society. From reports gathered two of them are Shinigami…with orange and black hair."

Rukia's head whipped around and her eyes widened. She stared at Renji in disbelief and, mixed with that, fear.

'Ichigo,' she thought. 'Akira…you didn't.'

Renji stared down at her hard and was about to say something else when he was called again by the guard.

"I'm coming!" he barked at the guard. He glanced at her once more before turning and exiting the cell. The door was locked behind him.

As soon as she knew she was alone Rukia whirled back around to stare out the window. Her mind whirled with thoughts and emotions. Why did they come here? She specifically told Ichigo _not_ to come after her.

Images of the two flashed through her mind and she felt her eyes water again.

'Go back,' she pleaded silently. 'Just go back. You can't help me now; you'll just get yourselves killed.'

She stared down at the Sokyoku but her eyes didn't see it. Her mind was elsewhere, floating in memories of the two Substitute Shinigami.

-o0o-

Finally, after a lot of practice and an explosion or two on Ichigo's part the group had gathered once more around the base of the Flower Crane Cannon. Ganju would be going with them, a fact that pleased neither Ichigo nor Akira.

"Ganju has to come to read the spell," Yoruichi explained.

"Sounds to me like Akira should do that," Ichigo muttered. Yoruichi gave him a look and the orangette shut up.

"Now," Kukaku said. Once you're in the cannon there's no going back. Anyone wanna back out now?"

No one did.

"Good. When you're in the cannon ball everyone needs to push the same amount of spiritual pressure into it or it'll blow up. We don't want that to happen again do we?" She glared at Ichigo who inched away slowly. "Am I making myself clear?"

"Hai!" they all replied.

"Alright, everyone in and charge the cannonball!"

An opening appeared in the base of the cannon and everyone filed inside. They created a circle with everyone holding the Reishukaku with Yoruichi sitting on top of it.

"Everyone ready?" the cat asked.

"Ready," Ichigo said.

"I'm good!" Inoue said brightly.

"I'm ready," Ishida stated.

Chad nodded his head in agreement.

"Let's do this," Akira said.

"Alright, begin channelling your power into the ball."

Everyone closed their eyes and concentrated on the Reishukaku. Immediately a ball of energy formed around them. Instead of the blue that it was usually it had turned a sort of teal, probably because of Akira's green energy mixing with the others.

"Alright!" they heard Kukaku yell. "Begin Launch!" Kukaku then began to chant.

"Yonder, brown avarice covet control of the 36 directions. 72 pairs of illusions, 13 pairs of hunting horns, the right hand of a monkey grasps the star. Embraced by the sun of 25 rings, the cradle of the sand gives forth blood!"

They felt the cannon rumbling around them and Akira unconsciously squeezed his eyes shut out of reflex. He held on tightly to the Reishukaku. Suddenly he felt himself being pushed upwards rapidly. Out of pure instinct his eyes flew open as he stared around. He and the others were sailing through the air, enclosed within the sphere of energy.

"Stage 1 complete," Ganju murmured. From somewhere he pulled out a scroll. "These are the navigational co-ordinates. If I don't read these correctly then we'll go off course and we've only got one shot at this."

"Well," Akira said impatiently. "Get on with it then!"

Ganju glared at him before starting the chant.

"Ichigo, lower your spiritual pressure," Akira said. "It's too high."

"Really? Okay, hold on," Ichigo's spiritual pressure dropped slightly but it was still too high.

"More," Ishida said. "You're still putting out too much energy Kurosaki."

"What? But it's less than half!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Just do it!" Akira snapped

"Okay," Ichigo muttered and his reiatsu withdrew a little more.

"Almost there Ichigo," Akira said. "Keep it up."

"Oi!" Ganju growled. "Would you keep it down? You made me reread a line of the spell!"

"Don't blame us for you're mistake," Akira growled at him. "It isn't our fault!"

"Yes it is!" Ganju retorted hotly. "Now shut up so I can concentrate!"

"Too late!" Yoruichi exclaimed. "Hold on everyone! We're about to hit the barrier! Concentrate!"

As the cannon ball hit the invisible bubble of Seki Seki power Akira felt it shudder. He pumped more reiatsu into the ball and could feel Ichigo doing the same. They pierced the shield just as the ball broke apart but they didn't immediately plummet to the ground.

"What's happening?" cried Inoue.

"The residual energy left behind is keeping us together!" Yoruichi shouted, her voice sounding like it was somehow coming from a long way away. "Everyone grab a hold of someone or we will be separated!"

Energy was swirling around them and Akira could feel himself being tugged in many different directions. Ichigo and Ganju were near each other and Yoruichi had found a position on Ichigo's shoulder. Akira managed to make his way over to them and used one hand to hold onto Ichigo's arm and the other to hold onto Yoruichi's front leg.

"Help!" came Inoue's voice. Akira turned to see her falling away from them. Chad immediately broke away from Ishida and managed to grab her and threw her back towards Ishida who caught her.

"Chad!" Akira called but Chad had fallen outside the energy and was now falling.

"No Chad!" Inoue cried.

"Stay together!" Yoruichi yelled. Ichigo tried to reach for Inoue and Ishida but they were too far away and the pair was swept away. As they fell Akira felt himself being pulled away. He tried desperately to hold onto Ichigo but it was no use. His fingers lost their grip of the material of Ichigo's Shihakusho and he and Yoruichi were swept away.

"Akira!" shouted Ichigo, trying desperately to get a hold of his brother's hand. He wasn't quick enough and Akira and Yoruichi fell away from them.

-o0o-

Everything seemed calm in the Seireitei. The Captain of Squad 10, Toshiro Hitsugaya was doing paperwork in his office as usual when he heard the summons that was broadcasted all over the Seireitei.

'That's odd,' he thought. 'What could warrant a meeting like this?' Earlier in the day all the Lieutenants had been called to a meeting also. What exactly was going on?

Toshiro rose from his place behind his desk, careful not to dislodge any of the paperwork, and made his way out of the room and towards the First Division headquarters. All meetings such as this were usually held in the Soutaicho's office.

As Toshiro entered the large room he took his place beside Shunsui Kyoraku, Taicho for the Eighth division. Everyone was still arriving and as he looked around he noticed that the only people still to arrive were the Taicho for the Thirteenth Division, Juushiro Ukitake, and the Taicho for the Third Division, Gin Ichimaru. Toshiro felt a shiver go down his spine as he thought of the man. Ichimaru's constant grin always made a chill creep over him. It also didn't help that he couldn't see his eyes; he didn't even know what colour they were. Eyes were said to be the windows to the soul and Toshiro had a habit of looking a person in the eye, it made them easier to read usually unless they were good at concealing their emotions.

Finally the doors opened and Gin Ichimaru entered the room. He wore his usual expression and smiled at them all.

"I hope ya weren' all waitin' for me long," he said in his strangely accented voice. He looked around at them all again and his eyes fell on Ukitake's empty place. "Where's Ukitake-Taicho?"

"He's not feeling well," Unohana-Taicho answered. "His disease has flared up again unfortunately."

"Aw, hope he gets getter soon then," Gin said. He tilted his head to the side and looked up at the Soutaicho. "So Soutaicho, what's the meetin' 'bout?"

"Don't play dumb," Zaraki-Taicho growled at him. "You know exactly what this meeting is about Ichimaru-Taicho! You engaged the Ryoka at the gate and worse, you let them live!"

"Oh?" Gin asked looking surprised. "He's not dead?"

"No," Kurotsuchi-Taicho snapped. "The Ryoka, Ichigo Kurosaki, is not dead. As A Taicho level Shinigami I would expect you to be able to tell when an enemy is dead Ichimaru-Taicho."

"What're ya sayin' Kurotsuchi-Taicho?" Ichimaru asked innocently. "Are ya sayin' that I let 'im go on purpose?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Kurotsuchi snapped at him.

"Not again," Toshiro muttered. "Old fools and their bickering." Kyoraku heard him and gave Toshiro a small smile. Toshiro looked at him but then his attention was caught when Aizen-Taicho stepped forward.

"Just a minute," the brunette said in his usual calm voice. "I'd like to ask Ichimaru-Taicho something if that is alright." Aizen's calm brown eyes turned their attention completely on Ichimaru.

"Can you describe the Ryoka?"

Ichimaru grinned at Aizen, the smile on his face getting a little bigger.

"There was Ichigo Kurosaki, he was 'n th' lead. Seems he's got stronger since th' las' time Kuchiki-Taicho saw 'im." Ichimaru nodded to Byakuya Kuchiki who was on the other side of Kyoraku. "Then there was another Shinigami with 'im."

"Another Shinigami?" Toshiro cut in, staring intently at the fox faced man.

"Yup!" the fox like man said cheerfully. "'e was short, 'bout as short as ya actually but maybe a lil taller. Wasn' close 'nough t' tell." He ignored Toshiro's glare. He hated it when people called him short. "He had black hair un' green eyes. He wasn' scared o' me either." Gin seemed to pause them, tilting his head and tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Where did this new Shinigami come from?" Kuramura's deep voice asked from underneath the straw helmet he wore. "I thought that there was only one and he had been dealt with."

"Apparently Kurosaki is more resourceful than I first anticipated," Kuchiki-Taicho said, his voice impassive as ever. "If I see him again I will not make the same mistake and I will kill him."

"As if!" Zaraki-Taicho spat. "He sounds strong; he beat your lieutenant, Renji Abarai, without even releasing his Zanpakuto! That means he has power. I want to fight him."

"Stop!" the Soutaicho called. "Enough of this foolishness! What is your excuse for your failure Ichimaru-Taicho?"

"Well," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I thought he was dead. It was a mistake I guess."

"Yeah right," Zaraki snorted. "Oh well, now I can fight him myself. I want to see how strong this Ryoka really is."

"It is doubtful that he'll even make it into the Seireitei," Tousen pointed out, speaking for the first time. The blind dark skinned man turned his head in the direction of Ichimaru. "The outer wall is made of Seki Seki, there is no way for him to breach the wall."

"I want to know about the other Ryoka," Kurotsuchi said, staring hard at Ichimaru. "Now tell me, what about the others?" He wanted to know if there were any good specimens among them. It had been such a long time since he'd experimented on anything.

Just then a blaring noise came from outside.

'What was that?' Toshiro thought. Apparently everyone else in the room had the same thought for, almost as one, they all turned to the door as a messenger burst in.

"Soutaicho!" the messenger gasped. "There are people trying to pierce the Seki Seki barrier!"

"What?" Yamamoto demanded, standing to his feet. All the assembled Captains in the room hurried outside and stared upwards.

All around them Shinigami had stopped and were staring upwards. Toshiro did the same and soon realised why. High above was a sphere of light that seemed to be pushing against something.

"Is it…is it breaking through the barrier?" he wondered aloud.

"It can't be!" Kurotsuchi raged. "That barrier is completely impenetrable! There is no way some lowly Ryoka could break through."

"You might wanna check that rule Kurotsuchi-Taicho," Kyoraku stated calmly. "Looks like they're about to do just that."

At that moment the ball of energy seemed to waver and then split apart going in four different directions. Toshiro squinted and thought he could just see something but they were moving too fast and the light around them was too bright and obscured any details other than the vaguest of outlines.

"They did it," Toshiro heard Aizen murmur. "They actually penetrated the Seireitei."

"Let's make sure that that is all they do," The Soutaicho stated imperiously. "All captains set your squads on high alert. I want these Ryoka found and detained. If that is not possible then kill them. I want these Ryoka dealt with as soon as possible."

-o0o-

**AN: **-hides from angry reviewers- I'M SORRY! This chapter was a b*tch and it was IMPOSSIBLE to write! I finally gave myself a kick up the ass and managed to write it but I'm sorry if it isn't that good. It definitely went downhill when Ganju joined them, that's for sure.

How was it? I enjoyed writing the last scene, the meeting, quite a lot. It was actually a lot of fun and I could totally see Gin doing that! Comparing Kira-kun to Shiro-chan –grins- it was so awesome to write that chapter! Just so you guys know I'll be referring to Kira Izuru just by Izuru, that'll stop confusion I hope. I hadn't even realised that this could get confusing when I started so I apologize for that if anyone gets confused by anything when I call Akira 'Kira-kun', just to let you know so you're not banging down my door for answers or something.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. If so then review please and tell me so!

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!** The poll for who will be paired with Ichigo will officially close when I post the next chapter. There will be no more voting after that point and it will all be final. To those of you who haven't voted and want to make sure that your favourite pairing is the one that comes out on top then please vote or you might be disappointed. I hope this doesn't stop everyone from reading just because they don't like who is paired with Ichigo but that's the way it is so I'm sorry if you don't like it. Vote and hopefully you'll get what you want. Which ever it is it won't show up for a LONG while! And even when it does it won't be too heavy (as far as I know right now)

C'ya next time guys!

MG Mirani


	13. fanfiction petition

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

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